This article was in the business section of today's NJ Star Ledger. I noticed it because there was a big picture of a drug rep & his silver Prius. Unfortunately, the picture isn't with the on-line article. The rest of the article is here:
Good article. The only part that stuck out to me as strange was these two sentences. The Novartis rep says the Prius has less trunk space than traditional cars, but enough room to store drug samples for doctors. In the next paragraph, it states this: At Novartis, Chevy Impalas and Chrysler Town & Country minivans currently make up the bulk of the 7,000-vehicle U.S. sales fleet. It sounds like they are comparing the trunk space of the Prius to a Chevy Impala and Chrysler mini-van -- a little misleading.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somechic @ Aug 31 2006, 03:37 PM) [snapback]312326[/snapback]</div> I think that's just a bad bit of article layout. I think the rep was giving the Prius a compliment ... it may not have as much space as other cars (especially the traditional ones in the fleet), but it has enough for him to do his job. The Impalas & the mini-vans were mentioned so they could emphasize the increased FE the reps are getting with the Prius. It's just nice to see some large companies doing something responsible.
I think it's funny. In my business, Pharma companies are seen and the big spenders and Green initiative fighters. My company helps facility managers run their buildings more efficiently, save money, and reduce utility costs. Pharma will consume whatever energy they have to and pollute as much as they have to in oder to make sure their product is researched, developed, and manufactured in completely controlled environments - which, of course, we are more than happy to build for them. So it's just funny for me to think of a Pharma company going Green.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Aug 31 2006, 05:33 PM) [snapback]312393[/snapback]</div> Oh, I don't think they're going green by any stretch. I think they're driven purely by their bottom line. By their own admission the Priuses are getting twice the FE as the rest of the fleet. With the Prius they can cut their fuel costs in half or double the area their reps can cover. They may not be driven by ecological altruism, but every little bit helps. Besides, it was nice to see the Prius getting some more positive press.
The Pharma thing piqued my interest... I work for a company who develops green manufacturing routes to pharmaceuticals; the benefit to the pharma company is that green route reduce waste, reduce cost, and can save millions of $$$. The aim of reducing costs may not be environmentally altruistic, but the result is.
whatever reason they have for converting to the prius, isn't it all just helping us in the end? why question a good thing? :baby: