It's not the car you drive that makes you green

I subscribe to this school of thought right now as well. A car that isnt driven emits no CO2. However, on my 1/2 mile walk to campus, I emit a little CO2, and am currently working to develop a snorkle I can use that will help lower emissions further.

All kidding aside thats a very good point that alot of people forget to consider. Of course we musn't forget that alot of people are simply unable (or just find it unnacceptable) to live near their place of work. In such a case the purchase of a hybrid vehicle shows alot of environmental responsiblity on their part. Furthermore, there are alot of ways to curb energy use and pollution that will actually save you money (lights, power off, less AC, more walking, carpooling, etc etc). If you're on the lower end of the economic spectrum you can just bank that money as a reward for doing the right thing, or if you are so inclined you can spend that money on the more expensive ways to curtail pollution and energy use, like buying a hybrid car or setting up solar panels.

Oh.. and welcome to the forum, im new here too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Greener Than You! @ Apr 18 2007, 06:36 AM) [snapback]425252[/snapback]</div>

This is true! "Green" means reducing your total impact, and driving less, or not at all, is more effective than driving an efficient gas-powered car. On the other hand, 10,000 miles a year is a lot, in my book. When I lived in North Dakota I drove about 5,000 miles a year. Now that I live in a much bigger city, I'm up to almost 10,000 miles per year. IOW, I drive a much cleaner car than you, and I drive it very slightly fewer miles.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Greener Than You! @ Apr 18 2007, 06:36 AM) [snapback]425252[/snapback]</div>

This is not true! First off, the Prius does not get ANY of its energy from power stations, because you CANNOT plug it into the grid. It is the CLEANEST gas-powered family-size car you can buy.

Second, the Prius is one of the lowest-impact cars on the road today in production and in disposal. For example, the batteries are recyclable, and Toyota pays a bonus when you return a used battery to them, to defray your cost of returning it.

I have friends who are green indeed. They do not own a car. They ride their bicycles everywhere. They have altered their lifestyles to make this possible. Nobody who drives a gasoline-powered car is truely green.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Greener Than You! @ Apr 18 2007, 09:36 AM) [snapback]425252[/snapback]</div>

You need to learn how a hybrid car works. The Prius does NOT get any of its energy from the electric grid. Only a "Plug-in" hybrid does that. The Prius uses its electrical storage capability to recover energy that is normally lost when slowing down or lost due to inefficient operation of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to allow high MPG and low pollution operation. There is no more production or disposal environmental damage in a Prius than with any similarly sized/weight car.

You are correct in that driving less is a good thing.

JeffD

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Apr 18 2007, 10:03 AM) [snapback]425262[/snapback]</div>

Oh I know what he means by that . . . He's fallen for that extreamly LAME fallacy that states if we recharge electric or plug in cars off of a (for example) coal fired grid, that simply means the power is generated by dirty coal ... and thus stupidy, the story says, "your just moving the source of dirt".

Why can't the folks that parrot that kind of drole, think it through? . . . that scrubbers on the ONE coal fired power station do a damn good job, and that it EASIER to have only ONE source to filter / maintain ... than hundreds of millions of car's with faulty systems.

Moreover, the story fails to address the fact that many other sources of clean power are available: Geothermal, nuke, wind, solar. If everone's home / work place car park, had solar, you'd eliminate the need to even have most of the coal fired plants. But NOOOOOO ... mister, "moving the source of dirt" wants to continue believing the long disproven mith. oh well.

Mr Greener than you also fails to realize we all can't live right next to the office or the factory. I drive 19 miles e/ way. Carpooling too. But by the time I'm half way there ... driven through 3 cities, the area has no hoytie toytie homes. We work hard, and thus live in a great area, and thus 19 miles is the minimum, in order to avoid the "other side of the tracks".

 

your cars emit evaporative emissions even when you're not driving them. so yes, owning a car does cause environmental damage.

you will find plenty of people here who out-green you. trust me.

 

Meet the newest PC Troll!

Taking smugness to a whole new level without even owning a fuel efficient vehicle....MEET "GREENER THAN YOU"!

At least our resident trolls know how a Prius friggen works! This guy thinks we plug in our cars and believes the whole Hummer vs. Prius BS. One uniformed post to brag, followed by a name calling.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood @ Apr 18 2007, 10:33 AM) [snapback]425327[/snapback]</div>

But the guy has a point. At the end of the day you can only drive one car at a time and surely if you drive a little it's better sticking with the car you already have than buy a new car and all the pollution that goes with the production of that vehicle.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dubsky @ Apr 18 2007, 11:35 AM) [snapback]425328[/snapback]</div>

Agreed. Why have 4 cars? 1 a "high performance aports car" and one an SUV.

I'm not saying the guy doesn't have good points.
But his post is derogatory to PC members. Look at his avatar and read his tone.
He's the smug one, and then calls us sanctimonious pricks for correcting his complete misunderstanding of our beloved Proius.

Gotta go.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood @ Apr 18 2007, 10:43 AM) [snapback]425332[/snapback]</div>

What's a Proius?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood @ Apr 18 2007, 10:43 AM) [snapback]425332[/snapback]</div>

Why not have 4 cars - it's a free country in the UK, it's not illegal. If he bought a Prius surely that would be more polluting due to manufacture than keeping his 4 cars that are used very little.

 

You woujld not happen to be Jermey Clarkson?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/302898/prius_target_practice/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dubsky @ Apr 18 2007, 11:49 AM) [snapback]425334[/snapback]</div>

Well? HE gave the best reason to only own one car .... namely registration/taxes . . . which he was wahh wahh'ing over. If you only need one or two, why maintain (oil. lube, etc) more than what you need ... regarless of weather it's 'legal'. It's legal to wear a bikini ... but you'd probably agree that folks will think you're dumb/weird for doing it. Plus i don't wana look at your plumber's crack :lol:

And I'll bet he already knew that a 'Proius' was 'Prius' ~ misspelled

 

Is this a sign that those stick-in-the-muds grasping for any ephemeral straws realized their Titanic is sinking?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Apr 18 2007, 11:09 AM) [snapback]425355[/snapback]</div>

maybe he meant to write 'Pious'.

interesting vid. I thought there were no rednecks in England. (referring to the narrator, not the actual redneck)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Apr 18 2007, 06:34 AM) [snapback]425286[/snapback]</div>

Great point. Older cars are terrible in this regard! And even most new cars are still pretty bad. A gasoline car pollutes even when parked. And they ALL pollute when you fill them at the gas station.

Yeah! I leave my EV parked and ride my bike with biodegradeable tires! (kidding on the tires - don't know if they exist).

 

I consider my F350 greener than most when I fill it with B100. In emissions it is lower than most ULEV cars with 78% LESS CO2. Did I mention it smells like french fries!

Too bad I cant do it year round though, it gels below 40*.