THE NEW GREEN EVERYTHING

The term "Green [choose a subject]" is fast becoming a rather tired catch phrase. It purports to show a better more efficient and environmentally friendly item/way/source/etc. Unfortunately, advertising hucksters, so called environmentalists, and politicians have significantly subverted the original intent; that of promoting conservation of resources.

Advertisers simply change the label on their old products and sometimes infuse something that smells like lemon or orange and place a green colored label on the container.

Car manufacturers try to sell the idea of a better environmentally clean vehicle; sometimes all electric, sometimes a combination of electric and gas powered vehicle, then tout the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Unfortunately, they continue to be constrained by a feeling of what the public wants and by "safety" regulations. All electric vehicles have a significant defect in their "environmental" desirability; batteries are really quite toxic to the environment, and, if sgnificant numbers of these vehicles were produced, in less than 5 years we would fill many dumps with the exhausted batteries and cry about the damage to the environment. Another fallacy about the cleanliness of the all electric vehicle is that it has a lower impact on air quality. Certainly, in the direct area of the vehicle this may be true, but, somewhere, there needs to be a facility that recharges these vehicles. There is no capability in reversing the laws of physics regarding energy generation.

Manufacturers could build vehicles today with significantly better fuel economy, but it would take massive changes in rules, regulations, and public opinion. Simply reduce the mass of the vehicle by, say, 75 percent, eliminate pollution and safety requirements, and start charging (maybe the dreaded word TAX) for heavy vehicles used for personal transportation. In the extreme, research the fuel efficiency of a moped weighing less than 200 lbs, powered by a lawn mower type engine of 5 to 15 hp, with four wheels for stability and big enough to carry 4 people. Require only that it have brakes, head and tail lights, mechanical speedometer, and maybe a windshield. Use an IPOD for the entertainment system. Even the battery could be eliminated (the lights could be powered by a small electric generator(alternator?) with a hand powered crank to start the engine.

Even with all the polution control devices removed from such a vehicle, the final product used by massive numbers of people would be shown to be much less polluting, in the long term than that which is produced today.