Quote:
It’s all about the sheep
insightful
FYI- Stingray, new car mpg were changed from track driving to real world driving in rating cars in 2007 I believe. The new one probably get about the same or better than your two year old model. As for the rest, every little bit helps. Most of us are not going to completely change our lifestyles to go 100% green. I just wish everyone could improve 10% and we would see some changes.
With five billion people on the face of the planet and growing there’s no doubt human kind is having some impact on the planet, but not in the way it’s sold. More self sufficiency is needed when it comes to energy as well I think but if people are that concerned about the environment they should go plant a tree! Oh hang on, I have a better solution…
Baa.
i think the point of creating a car like this one is to reduce the overall impact.
and apparently thats something you believe in.
we have the wonderful potential to get energy into batteries from so many sources other than by burning oil. solar, wind, hydro.
if the batteries could be charged with green energy it would be pretty darn close to being zero emission overall.
and its not that far off. while its still hard to get green energy from power companies(at least in Australia) a few folks who have solar in their homes are completely off the grid and self sustaining.
imagine driving a car around town that you could power up at home for free with no petroleum necessary!
it seems like a fantastic idea to me.
I’m not about yo go live in a teapee and start eating nothing but mung beans, but I try to do what I can when the opertunity presents itself.
Buckminster Fuller said “Think Global, act local” - He was way ahead of his time and a hero of mine for his vision and design ethics.
Small changes DO count, even big busnesses can’t ignore the forces for supply and demand - a year ago it was almost impossible to find ecological detergents and cleaners, now you can find them in any super market.
I actually resent this word ‘green’ and its new word asociations. In many cases it means or adds up to very little.
For some it means showing up at Starbucks with the same
paper cup and little else. For surfers it means using
alternative materials in their surfboards and maybe some bees wax and little else.
I like the word ‘frugal’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frugal
…and if frugal is not enough think
60’s hippie living on a commune, growing your food
and traveling to town as needed on a commune owned bus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie
…and if hippie is not enough, then think hobo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo
Anyhow with the ‘Global Financial Meltdown’ we’re
all in for some more frugal times.
agreed
my parents call it being “conservative” where you save and reuse everything as long as you can. They don’t use Computers, ATMs, drive as little as possible and would probably wipe their butts with old newspaper if needed.
Its funny that they have no idea how that word has mutated into todays world where it means unabashed consumption versus the frugalness that you mentioned.
The only true “green” generation grew up around the time of the great depression and during the last world war when everything was rationed especially food, As well as native tribes around the world.
Its too bad that their mentality on how they looked at everyday life never passed on to subsequent generations.
I cannot accept anyone who uses a computer with the amount of toxic and rare materials and energy it takes to make one and powers the net and associated power grid that they use would dare to mention the word green in any discussion.
But again that’s the fallacy of the modern viewpoint.
Its skewed and jaded from the start.
Hi All -
I applaud efforts by anyone trying to conserve. Be it bicycling to work, taking a bus once in awhile, driving an eco friendly car or whatever, I suppose every little bit helps.
What’s confusing to me is determining what really works. For instance, is a “green” car really a green car?
An independent research group has determined that based on a “dust-to-dust” evaluation (from concept to disposal), some of the cars we consider green, really might not be the best choice. Before plunking down 20 or 30 grand on a new hybrid, read the PDF in the link below and reconsider.
Things like power windows and power seats really take a toll if the total impact of production and disposal is accounted for.
As an example, they found that “Hybrids Consume More Energy in Lifetime Than Chevrolet’s Tahoe SUV.”
In an “Energy Cost per Mile” evaluation, a Hummer H3 at 1.949 cents/mile scored better than hybrids and even Honda Civic at 2.42 cents/mile(!) (pgs 9-10 in the PDF link)
That doesn’t save your ass at the gas pumps but is indicative of total “dust-to-dust” costs. If “green” is your thing, cost at the pump shouldn’t be the primary consideration should it?
http://cnwmr.com/…%20PDF%20VERSION.pdf
One of the reasons hybrids cost more than non-hybrids is the manufacture, replacement and
disposal of such items as batteries, electric motors (in addition to the conventional engine),
lighter weight materials and complexity of the power package.
And while many consumers and environmentalists have targeted sport utility vehicles because of
their lower fuel economy and/or perceived inefficiency as a means of transportation, the energy
cost per mile shows at least some of that disdain is misplaced.
For example, while the industry average of all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2005 was $2.28 cents
per mile, the Hummer H3 (among most SUVs) was only $1.949 cents per mile. That figure is
also lower than all currently offered hybrids and Honda Civic at $2.42 per mile.
.If a consumer is concerned about fuel economy because of family budgets or depleting oil
supplies, it is perfectly logical to consider buying high-fuel-economy vehicles,. says Art
Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, Inc. .But if the concern is the broader issues
such as environmental impact of energy usage, some high-mileage vehicles actually cost society
more than conventional or even larger models over their lifetime.
"We believe this kind of data is important in a consumer's selection of transportation." says
Spinella. .Basing purchase decisions solely on fuel economy or vehicle size does not get to the
heart of the energy usage issue..
The goal of overall worldwide energy conservation and the cost to society in general . not just
the auto buyer . can often be better addressed by being aware of a car or truck.s .dust to dust.
energy requirements, he said.
PS - In the interest of being fair and balanced, here is one person’s rebuttal. Do some research and be your own judge.
"CNW’s “study” is TOTAL bunk.
They consider the lifetime usefulness of the Prius at 100K or so, but the Hummer’s at 350K (or some-such).
There are so many lies in the article it’s laughable.
This was NOT done scientifically, but slanderously. There are many people that believe this “study” was paid for by big oil or big Iron, to de-bunk hybrids.
Everyone should stop quoting this trash. It contains ZERO legitimacy."
Quote:
Some valid points by the author.
BUT
views.
~Brian
Sorry to keep picking at the big greenlight scab here, but still, I wonder about the bamboo panel, and supply road that it travels on. Could you explain where it comes from and how it gets here? It seems to be about as green as epoxy resin, but I still like it and would consider its use if applicable.
Thanks.
second page and not one
picture of the incredible hulk surfing .
llike on a sherman tank,or a 59 caddilac
in a dry waimea tube,or the jolly green Giant
at hammonds
on a yater.
…ambrose…
or little martian on a dinky wave inside playa del Rey harbor
SHHHHHH!!! You are going to let out the big secret!
If the surf industry was really “green” they wouldn’t glass boards with 4 oz. glass with thin hot-coats, no tail patch, no gloss coat, on a super light blank! Surfboards are supposed to be weak, so Al Merrick can make more of them to replace the one that just broke.
We wouldn’t make compsand boards with wood veneers. The strength to weight ratio of wood vs. fiberglass is in fiberglass’ favor. Otherwise we would still be flying in airplanes made from wood and canvas! Make them because they are beautiful, or because you love being a craftsman, not because bamboo is “green”. How inefficient is it to go into a bamboo forrest, cut down a tree, mill it into a veneer, transport it to the country of use, then to the retailer, then to the user. If you want strength, add a little more glass.
I still have (and I’ll bet a lot of you also) surfboards that are 20+ years old that are still in fine shape. Back then they were made for strength. If the deck of your board dents after a few uses, it is glassed to weak to be “green”.
If our “carbon footprint” was really important, Al Gore wouldn’t live in a mansion and fly in private planes. He wouldn’t make a living from selling carbon off-sets, he would arrange their efficient use for free.
If the surf industry cared about the environment, they wouldn’t have International Surfing Day, where they encourage the masses to drive themselves in seperate cars to the beach to pick up a stray gum wrapper. They would put their cash where their mouth is and donate to their local sanitation district to have one guy in a street sweeper clean up before it gets to the ocean.
As W.C. Fields said, there is a sucker born every minute.
…
The wife and I have been talking about cloth grocery bags for a while…Long before this thread started…
We bought four reuseable cloth bags the other day…holds the same amount as six plastic bags…that’s six less plastic bags going into the land fill every week.
Reduce ,reuse , recycle
You don’t have to go hug trees to help out. The first step is to reduce consumption…That’s the trick…
Reuse ,you can do that… …Fix that old surfboard…
Recycle…save all your empty beer cans and water bottles. Get money for recycling and throw a party…
Have fun , pack your trash,
Ray
We are all on here because we like riding waves, in particular, riding waves on boards.
The boards have to be made, so instantly they are not ‘green’. Doesn’t matter what it’s made of.
To what level of green do we all aspire? To do the best we can with what we have with as little waste as possible.
Wander naked from a grass hut to go body surf. That’s about as green as you can get, and we don’t see much of that these days.
Well you can surf waves that are walking distance from your house, ride a bike or use rapid transit, have just one board for 40 years. I know these old guys that have taken care of their old longboards well enough to still be riding them, and it’s the only board they have. Those boards are probably worth thousands of dollars to some collector, but they still use them.
You can join the gang of homeless surfers who live off the rubbish bins at local parks, many don’t have cars, just the basic possessions needed to survive and a surfboard.
It’s possible to live a self sustaining life. You need a good piece of land with abundant clean fresh water. Learn how to use the sun, wind and water for energy, to grow and hunt your food, build your own house and be willing give up a lot of the conveniences we’re so spoiled to have in a modern world.
Surfers go all over the world to ride waves. They don’t realize the negative impact they’ve had on the world. Whole cultures have changed because wandering surfers decided to look for better, uncrowded waves.