I feel the same way you do. We need an SUV because, here it is, my confession you may never see on my green blog, we have a boat. OMG!!! And the boat doesn't get to the water by itself. We love our boat and its not that big. Anyway, when we are ready for a new vehicle we might look into the Hybrid SUV.
Michelle
· 1 year ago
Yay! I'm completely with you (driving my 11 year old Explorer because I can't decide what kind of car I want to get but at least I'm having fewer cars go to scrap because I hold onto them?).
Good luck with finding a new car!
Do what you can. It's all you can do, and no one is perfect. Not that I (or anyone else) can't do better...
Margie
· 1 year ago
Until you are ready to buy a new car, why not buy "carbon offsets". Check out carbonfund.org or terrapass.com for more information. It isn't a perfect solution but at least it is something. I've even given these as gifts to my friends and family.
Green & Clean Mom
· 1 year ago
First off, let me say that because of this post I've lost subscribers! I offended them and they disagreed. That's the problem, too many people going green are acting like they're better than everyone else. It isn't nice and doesn't support the people driving their SUVS to Wholefoods, recycling, using reusable bags and non-toxic cleaners. Everyone can be some shade of green.
Second, Margie made a good point about carbon offsets and it's a great idea. I too have used them. Thanks for pointing that out.
The third point I want to make is there's more of "us" out there than actually "treehuggers". We're in the middle, just trying our best. What about those that drive a hybrid and fly everyother week? We have to be realisitic and supportive of each other.
JABster
· 1 year ago
Excellent article. My husband and I have 4 kids and live out in the country. My husband makes sculptures out of pieces of scrap metal which is very green. But how is he supposed to drive them to the gallery and to his clients -- in a Prius? He drives a Ford Excursion LT and I drive a Volvo XC90. But I've found that if we drive 60 mph or less, then I get 24 mpg and he gets 20 mpg. That is nothing to scoff at. I've never figured out why some people attack SUV drivers. These are the same people who buy new things thinking they're being green, when the greenest thing you can do is completely use something, including your vehicle, before you replace it. In fact, buying a used car is greener than buying a new Prius. I say drive that SUV as long as possible, but drive it slowly and make your trips mindful. Who says you can't be green and drive an SUV? Silly people, that's who. Count me as a new subscriber!
Sara
· 1 year ago
I understand the country roads, and I secretly have always wanted a Jeep. It's true that city dwellers should not judge the car needs of those in the country - I cannot imagine riding my bike on the country high way (death way if the accident rate is looked at) that my mom lives off of. It's hard, though, because I see so many people driving SUV's who really don't need them - they live in the city and sure they have two kids but so do I ... It's just become the standard family vehicle and a lot of people don't question whether they really need all that space. Our solution is to own one car, a Subaru station wagon, and time share a small pick up truck with our extended family. I work from home and there is good public transportation in this town. My husband's work is within bike distance, but he never does it. We'll be getting a second vehicle soon - a Vespa! I appreciate your defense of SUV's, and even though I would never buy one I will try not to judge you. :)
karsten
· 1 year ago
Not so fast!
First of all, those who say they do not like to be judged, often mean that they do not want others to ANALYZE their situation. It is wide-spread spread in North America to reject the questioning of and looking at your neighbor's habits by others. It has pros and cons. On the positive, more people can do whatever they feel like and that can be good. On the other hand, more people can do whatever they feel like and that can be bad. There are ethical limits to what we can do as individuals because our actions may impact on the well-being of others. Pollution is not our business alone, it is everyone's business.
If you claim to care about the environment and that you do your best (or even better than others) you need to accept to be held against the light of critical scrutiny in regard to your ecological impact. Most certainly, no individual's situation is easy to analyze or compare with others. Nevertheless, it can be analyzed and just because you do not like the results does not mean it should not be done.
Cut and dry: A SUV is generally a large, heavy, highly powered vehicle with a rather inefficient engine when it comes to gasoline consumption per vehicle (not per horsepower). The utility value of an SUV cannot be denied and North Americas`s modern lives are difficult to live if you refuse the transportation conveniences offered by those sort of vehicles. Much of this life-style developed as a result of the development and marketing of these vehicles. Soccer Moms may have existed before the minivan or SUV, but it really took off after it became more convenient with the help of the development of SUVs and minivans. In the past people put their stuff on top of or behind their cars, not inside.
To continue this further, the problem with the SUV is neither the U, nor the V. The problem is the S. Utility vehicles exist for a long time and have existed way before the SUV came along. The first Landrovers had little horse power and successfully crossed the Sahara loaded with survival gear and equipment. The problem today is that we expect to drive such vehicles as if they are sports cars or luxury vehicles. They are loaded which makes them heavy. They are driven hard and, combined with their mass, are inefficient as a result.
The other problem is luxury and size. Before the SUV, there were station wagons. Other than 4-wheel drive and size, they offered what an SUV can do. Sure, less conveniently, less room, less sporty, less heavy, just as inefficient, and with less status. The large station wagon was replaced and with it disappeared the willingness to pack kids tight into a car, load the roof with stuff, have less stuff, etc. We have gotten lazy and spoiled.
Most US-Americans are used to the SUV as part of their life-style. They are not needed unless you like to live this life. This is of course easier said than done since it is hard to just disconnect yourself and risk being considered an outcast or weird. No doubt, not being able to participate equally is difficult for most adults and children. Nevertheless, it is true. Just look at other places that you could consider comfortable. Europe for instance. Much fewer SUVs or even minivans. Do they live a horrible live? No, they don't. Do they have a completely different infrastructure? Yes they do, but that is not a result of the unavailability of the SUV there. They use trailers or rent a truck. Even in Canada there seem to be fewer SUVs. And they sure do not live badly. Gas is and was much more expensive there as long as I can think. The monsters could not develop, as a result a life-style did not develop.
A SUV is a reflection of your life-style choices, not your needs. If you choose to drive a SUV please accept that you choose a vehicle that is less efficient than others. Keep it for a long time, drive it as rarely as possible, drive it defensively, don`t drive it alone. And work on your life-style that is dependent on your SUV. Without a SUV you may not be able to live your life as conveniently. You may not like the limits imposed on you by having only a small vehicle, but most likely you could do it. Much of it was done before the SUV. In the long run, once gas gets to be over $6 per gallon, you may say good-bye to your home in the mountains and say "hello again" to the ways of living your parents or grand-parents were used to.
I predict that large efficient utility vehicles will be developed more. Until then you may have to wait and suffer hearing that your choices are poor in regard to the environment (even if they are understandable in regard to modern life and mainstream US-American's perception of feasibility, safety, or even freedom).
Statistically speaking SUVs have more accidents than regular passenger cars. Too much horse power, high center of gravity, perceived invincibility.
A trailer may be not as easy to maneuver but it costs very little in comparison to an SUV, has a higher utility factor, allows you to transport even manure, can be treated like crap and still works fine, and does not increase your fuel consumption when you do not need it. If you need to haul something big and need a really powerful vehicle, well, you live big. Don't lull yourself into thinking you can do that and have a sustainable impact on our planet. You can't have the cake and eat it.
We will not reduce our ecological impact by 80% without ending most of what we like to do in North America. You can continue convincing yourself that what you do is NEEDED, or you can look at what you do honestly and rationally and separate WANTS from NEEDS and begin changing. It won't be as comfortable as it was. Get used to it - The world is changing.
Karsten -- http://polluteless.com Practical Advice to Pollute Less
Donielle
· 1 year ago
Amen sista! I to have an SUV. Actually we have 2 jeeps right now. (looking to sell one to replace with a smaller car cause we can't afford the gas, but neither can anyone else so it won't sell) We also live out in the country and our taxes are fairly low for the area, meaning the roads don't get plowed like they do elsewhere, meaning some days my husband would NOT be able to travel to work without a 4-wheel drive suv.
Karsten
· 1 year ago
While I can understand that it is convenient to throw the car into 4-wheel drive and get out once you are stuck I do not accept that you would "NOT be able to travel to work without a 4-wheel drive suv". Do you think it snows only in the USA and that they neglect maintenance of the roads only in this country? Have you heard of Canada, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, etc? How come they do not all desperately need SUVs or even 4-wheel drive cars? How come their world does not collapse without (or at least much fewer of) those vehicles? You hop across the border to Canada and the SUVs are much less prevalent. Same weather though.
A) A SUV is big and has lots of horsepower. Not ideal if you need to get traction. You are better of with a lighter vehicle and less horsepower. B) If you are stuck you can usually always get out of trouble with snow chains. If you cannot get out with snow chains, you most of the time cannot get out with 4-wheel drive either. They even sell devices that go onto a wheel quickly just to get you out of the ditch. Yes, you do need to get out of the car to put those devices on. Maybe even shovel some snow and crawl around your tires. C) If the weather is really horrible you may not be able to get to work. Again, that is not a life-or-death scenario. It happens all over the world all the time. Bad weather makes driving difficult, sometimes unsafe. So you don't go. Go another day to make up. Stay longer a few days to make up. Here in Vermont they send people home when a big storm looms. Stores close early. Schools are closed. We make it up in the summer. Live goes on.
On the old 4-wheel drive trucks you had to get out and twist a knob on the front hubs to get into 4-wheel drive. They figured out that they could sell more of those vehicles if they make it easier. It went from there to SUVs and permanent all-wheel drive cars and now people cannot live without them. Don't you feel stupid? The rest of the world can live just fine without huge 4-wheel drive automobiles and you cannot? Come on!
The daily use of a polluting vehicle to get you to work even if you may not need this sort of vehicle most of the time (and cleaner solutions exist) is a reflection of your priorities. I am fine with that, just don't claim to have different priorities.
Sorry for not being more supportive. A fast value revolution is not a pleasant thing to push for.
I would LOVE to see any one of you try to get one or more full hockey bags in the back of a small car. It is completely unpractical to tie the hockey bags to the roof, the gear would freeze, and would you want to put on frozen hockey gear? I proudly drive a Pontiac Montana. It is our only vehicle, and it is not unheard of for us to have the full seven passengers in the van. We live outside of town, and i'm sorry but I travel on the main highway every day, (it is NOT divided highway) and I would be completely scared to death to have a small light "green" car full of kids(not to mention the fact that you can only fit four people in one of those little cars, so I would be making two or more trips just to get everyone to town) and meet a large speeding tractor trailer. Those things rock the van when they pass, I would definately not want to meet them in anything smaller. I don't judge people or their decisions, what you do is your business. I receycle and I use reuseable bags most of the time, and anytime I don't use them I make sure to recycle the non reuseable bags. I am trying my best, and encourage my children to recycle what they can, try to conserve energy, shut things off when they are not in use etc. I do have an energy efficient washer and dryer, and dishwasher. My opinion is, drive what you want, it's your choice. Last time i checked this country was not a dictatorship.
Green & Clean Mom
· 11 months ago
Stacey, Thanks for commenting. Your opinion is valid. Some people make driving a small car work and others can't. I see your point.
All Comments
Good luck with finding a new car!
Do what you can. It's all you can do, and no one is perfect. Not that I (or anyone else) can't do better...
Second, Margie made a good point about carbon offsets and it's a great idea. I too have used them. Thanks for pointing that out.
The third point I want to make is there's more of "us" out there than actually "treehuggers". We're in the middle, just trying our best. What about those that drive a hybrid and fly everyother week? We have to be realisitic and supportive of each other.
Who says you can't be green and drive an SUV? Silly people, that's who. Count me as a new subscriber!
I appreciate your defense of SUV's, and even though I would never buy one I will try not to judge you. :)
First of all, those who say they do not like to be judged, often mean that they do not want others to ANALYZE their situation. It is wide-spread spread in North America to reject the questioning of and looking at your neighbor's habits by others. It has pros and cons. On the positive, more people can do whatever they feel like and that can be good. On the other hand, more people can do whatever they feel like and that can be bad. There are ethical limits to what we can do as individuals because our actions may impact on the well-being of others. Pollution is not our business alone, it is everyone's business.
If you claim to care about the environment and that you do your best (or even better than others) you need to accept to be held against the light of critical scrutiny in regard to your ecological impact. Most certainly, no individual's situation is easy to analyze or compare with others. Nevertheless, it can be analyzed and just because you do not like the results does not mean it should not be done.
Cut and dry: A SUV is generally a large, heavy, highly powered vehicle with a rather inefficient engine when it comes to gasoline consumption per vehicle (not per horsepower). The utility value of an SUV cannot be denied and North
Americas`s modern lives are difficult to live if you refuse the transportation conveniences offered by those sort of vehicles. Much of this life-style developed as a result of the development and marketing of these vehicles. Soccer Moms may have existed before the minivan or SUV, but it really took off after it became more convenient with the help of the development of SUVs and minivans. In the past people put their stuff on top of or behind their cars, not inside.
To continue this further, the problem with the SUV is neither the U, nor the V. The problem is the S. Utility vehicles exist for a long time and have existed way before the SUV came along. The first Landrovers had little horse power and successfully crossed the Sahara loaded with survival gear and equipment. The problem today is that we expect to drive such vehicles as if they are sports cars or luxury vehicles. They are loaded which makes them heavy. They are driven hard and, combined with their mass, are inefficient as a result.
The other problem is luxury and size. Before the SUV, there were station wagons. Other than 4-wheel drive and size, they offered what an SUV can do. Sure, less conveniently, less room, less sporty, less heavy, just as inefficient, and with less status. The large station wagon was replaced and with it disappeared the willingness to pack kids tight into a car, load the roof with stuff, have less stuff, etc. We have gotten lazy and spoiled.
Most US-Americans are used to the SUV as part of their life-style. They are not needed unless you like to live this life. This is of course easier said than done since it is hard to just disconnect yourself and risk being considered an outcast or weird. No doubt, not being able to participate equally is difficult for most adults and children. Nevertheless, it is true. Just look at other places that you could consider comfortable. Europe for instance. Much fewer SUVs or even minivans. Do they live a horrible live? No, they don't. Do they have a completely different infrastructure? Yes they do, but that is not a result of the unavailability of the SUV there. They use trailers or rent a truck. Even in Canada there seem to be fewer SUVs. And they sure do not live badly. Gas is and was much more expensive there as long as I can think. The monsters could not develop, as a result a life-style did not develop.
A SUV is a reflection of your life-style choices, not your needs. If you choose to drive a SUV please accept that you choose a vehicle that is less efficient than others. Keep it for a long time, drive it as rarely as possible, drive it defensively, don`t drive it alone. And work on your life-style that is dependent on your SUV. Without a SUV you may not be able to live your life as conveniently. You may not like the limits imposed on you by having only a small vehicle, but most likely you could do it. Much of it was done before the SUV. In the long run, once gas gets to be over $6 per gallon, you may say good-bye to your home in the mountains and say "hello again" to the ways of living your parents or grand-parents were used to.
I predict that large efficient utility vehicles will be developed more. Until then you may have to wait and suffer hearing that your choices are poor in regard to the environment (even if they are understandable in regard to modern life and mainstream US-American's perception of feasibility, safety, or even freedom).
Statistically speaking SUVs have more accidents than regular passenger cars. Too much horse power, high center of gravity, perceived invincibility.
A trailer may be not as easy to maneuver but it costs very little in comparison to an SUV, has a higher utility factor, allows you to transport even manure, can be treated like crap and still works fine, and does not increase your fuel consumption when you do not need it. If you need to haul something big and need a really powerful vehicle, well, you live big. Don't lull yourself into thinking you can do that and have a sustainable impact on our planet. You can't have the cake and eat it.
We will not reduce our ecological impact by 80% without ending most of what we like to do in North America. You can continue convincing yourself that what you do is NEEDED, or you can look at what you do honestly and rationally and separate WANTS from NEEDS and begin changing. It won't be as comfortable as it was. Get used to it - The world is changing.
Karsten
--
http://polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less
A) A SUV is big and has lots of horsepower. Not ideal if you need to get traction. You are better of with a lighter vehicle and less horsepower.
B) If you are stuck you can usually always get out of trouble with snow chains. If you cannot get out with snow chains, you most of the time cannot get out with 4-wheel drive either. They even sell devices that go onto a wheel quickly just to get you out of the ditch. Yes, you do need to get out of the car to put those devices on. Maybe even shovel some snow and crawl around your tires.
C) If the weather is really horrible you may not be able to get to work. Again, that is not a life-or-death scenario. It happens all over the world all the time. Bad weather makes driving difficult, sometimes unsafe. So you don't go. Go another day to make up. Stay longer a few days to make up. Here in Vermont they send people home when a big storm looms. Stores close early. Schools are closed. We make it up in the summer. Live goes on.
On the old 4-wheel drive trucks you had to get out and twist a knob on the front hubs to get into 4-wheel drive. They figured out that they could sell more of those vehicles if they make it easier. It went from there to SUVs and permanent all-wheel drive cars and now people cannot live without them. Don't you feel stupid? The rest of the world can live just fine without huge 4-wheel drive automobiles and you cannot? Come on!
The daily use of a polluting vehicle to get you to work even if you may not need this sort of vehicle most of the time (and cleaner solutions exist) is a reflection of your priorities. I am fine with that, just don't claim to have different priorities.
Sorry for not being more supportive. A fast value revolution is not a pleasant thing to push for.
Karsten
–
http://www.polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less
Thanks for commenting. Your opinion is valid. Some people make driving a small car work and others can't. I see your point.