Inconvenient Truths: Get Ready to Rethink What It Means to Be Green

I particularly appreciated the observation that the construction of new cars has an environmental impact...

I drive an old Ford Explorer. I obtained it because it was the most economical vehicle for me at the time due to a complex set of circumstances. I continue to drive it because it is comfortable and reliable after nearly 10 years on the road (although my understanding is that they don't make 'em like they used to).

In the past I've had several green leaning friends complain about it, particularly at the height of the anti-SUV backlash in 2002... before the Iraq war diverted everyone's attention away from, er, domestic issues. It always used to piss me off. I didn't buy the car because I wanted to run down poor people in the street, as Jello Biafra once suggested in a rant, and I never understood how the extreme and unnecessary expense associated with replacing it would help the environment, particularly if I resold it rather than having it turned into scrap metal. My friends were literally suggesting that I drop tens of thousands of dollars in a gesture that would largely be symbolic... on a more fashionable car which appears to be helping the environment but actually isn't. Talk about liberal bullshit.

Now, were I in the market for a new car might I consider a hybrid? Certainly. I drove a Prius recently and enjoyed it. I think Acidus's new car is very cool. There is something about early adopting and using a more efficient technology that appeals to me beyond any interest in protecting the environment. But buy a brand new car when I don't need to, simply for the sake of keeping up with some fad? Fuck that!

If you've got ten thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket and you want to spend it protecting the environment there are much better ways to spend your money.

Inconvenient Truths: Get Ready to Rethink What It Means to Be Green