I have a 1999 vehicle, like you, The Green Miles. I really love my car, but I know it is not fuel efficient. (OK, I know I need to slow my driving down to help with that, but that is REALLY hard for me.) So, let's say I decide to purchase a hybrid vehicle, my old car would still be out there, using up gas for someone else. Is it better to work really hard to change my own habits and cut down on my fuel usage than to purchase a new car altogether?
Dude, the closed captioning on the You Tube bits isn't working -- what gives?
Pokey, think about donating your car to a good cause (e.g., a woman's shelter or medical research). sure it'll still be used (or reduced to parts to make another old car run) but at least it goes to someone in need.
Pokey, The Green Miles gives you his blessing to hold onto your '99. If it can keep humming for another couple of years, you can trade it in for a first-generation Toyota plug-in hybrid, which will make the Prius look like a gas-guzzler by comparison.
TGM, thanks. Those cars look great, and I should be able to keep her running another few years (at least I hope.) In the meantime, I will try to drive as responsibly as possible.
Now, the question is, are you going to hold out for 2010?
I'm going to run TheGreenMilesMobile into the ground until it falls apart like the car at the end of The Blues Brothers. Once that happens, I'll figure out if I need a new car or if I can get by with the occasional ZipCar.
Or... you could just drive less? Bike? Take public transit? Walk?
I mean, building a brand new car is pretty terrible for the environment in of itself, I don't understand why you would think that's a legitimate solution to the problem. If driving cars is the problem - why not just do it less?
Well, some of us aren't blessed with the public transit system of large cities. The options just aren't there for safe, easy travel. With the exception of San Francisco, California cities don't make it easy. For me, walking, biking or taking the bus to work is actually a safety issue.
I think that there has to be a happy medium. It's unrealistic to hope that people will just stop purchasing and driving new cars. However, the greater number of environmentally friendly cars that are available, the more likely the common consumer would be to purchase one. Change in the masses is what's going to help most, not just what those of us who really care are doing.
8 comments:
I have a 1999 vehicle, like you, The Green Miles. I really love my car, but I know it is not fuel efficient. (OK, I know I need to slow my driving down to help with that, but that is REALLY hard for me.) So, let's say I decide to purchase a hybrid vehicle, my old car would still be out there, using up gas for someone else. Is it better to work really hard to change my own habits and cut down on my fuel usage than to purchase a new car altogether?
Dude, the closed captioning on the You Tube bits isn't working -- what gives?
Pokey, think about donating your car to a good cause (e.g., a woman's shelter or medical research). sure it'll still be used (or reduced to parts to make another old car run) but at least it goes to someone in need.
just a thought.
Thanks, Donna. That is a good suggestion - have actually done that in the past. Now if I could only afford a new car!
Pokey, The Green Miles gives you his blessing to hold onto your '99. If it can keep humming for another couple of years, you can trade it in for a first-generation Toyota plug-in hybrid, which will make the Prius look like a gas-guzzler by comparison.
TGM, thanks. Those cars look great, and I should be able to keep her running another few years (at least I hope.) In the meantime, I will try to drive as responsibly as possible.
Now, the question is, are you going to hold out for 2010?
I'm going to run TheGreenMilesMobile into the ground until it falls apart like the car at the end of The Blues Brothers. Once that happens, I'll figure out if I need a new car or if I can get by with the occasional ZipCar.
Or... you could just drive less? Bike? Take public transit? Walk?
I mean, building a brand new car is pretty terrible for the environment in of itself, I don't understand why you would think that's a legitimate solution to the problem. If driving cars is the problem - why not just do it less?
Well, some of us aren't blessed with the public transit system of large cities. The options just aren't there for safe, easy travel. With the exception of San Francisco, California cities don't make it easy. For me, walking, biking or taking the bus to work is actually a safety issue.
I think that there has to be a happy medium. It's unrealistic to hope that people will just stop purchasing and driving new cars. However, the greater number of environmentally friendly cars that are available, the more likely the common consumer would be to purchase one. Change in the masses is what's going to help most, not just what those of us who really care are doing.
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