Category: Environment

Why I will not buy a smart car

The Smart Cart is an innovative European high mileage economy car. It is also coming to America via https://www.mbusa.com/en/smart

My current car, a Civic Sedan has about 3 years of life left on it. I have a pile of cash saved in a special fund for a new car. Being green is important to me.

However, I will not be buying a Smart Car.

The $15 K price tag ( with basic options ) is cheap and the car still has 8 cubic feet of storage with its innovative design.

Why not buy a Smart Car?

Smart Car has removed the diesel engine used in Europe and replaced it with a gas engine for US consumers. It only gets 40 miles per gallon. My 1991 Honda Civic does 35 mpg and has a back seat. The Prius is down to $21 K and can get above 40 mpg. The GM Volt is about 3 years away. The clean diesel accord is about 1 – 2 years away from being released in the US with a promise of 50 mpg.

Modern safety features allow for the driver of such small cars to walk away from crashes. However such cars are toast in those situations. Given the low price it is unlikely that an insurance company will pay me enough in the event of an accident to replace a Smart Car. Given its size, one medium accident could be enough to kill the car.

Lastly, there is the advertisement that the European division of Smart Car put up in Europe, gratuitously insulting Americans that goes something like “European this, American nothing”

As a reasonably informed American I am aware that self serving decisions made by American corporate and governmental leadership have led to my country being seen as mean, stupid, backward, etc…

As an American who is not mean, who is not stupid, and who is not backward it hurts to watch it all happening.

I don’t need to give my hard earned and hard saved cash to a company that is “rubbing it in”.

Especially with the US version of the Smart Car not offering anything all that incredible compared to some of the other new car alternatives.

“Bike Town” USA

portland-bike-rentals

That would be Portland, Oregon:

Portland, Oregon has earned the nickname “Bike City, U.S.A.” Consistently topping Bicycle Magazines list of the best cycling cities, in Portland bike paths and lanes abound, city planners recognize the importance of designing with cyclists in mind, and the citizens have responded by bike commuting about 350% more than the national average (3.5% of all commutes are by bicycle). In keeping with the “Safety in Numbers” theory, the Census Bureau reports that drivers in Portland are more accommodating of cyclists. Portland is currently laying plans to adopt a bike rental plan similar to Paris’ overwhelmingly popular Vélib.

Cycling’s popularity in Portland has both brought bike industries to the area and spurned some homegrown efforts. As a result, the local cycling industry has swelled to include 125 bike-related businesses trafficking in everything from cycling hats made from recycled fibers to high-end niche bicycles to bike tourism.
Portland has slowly become the mecca for high-end handmade bicycle frames. Cyclists who are tired of mass produced rigs and in search of some customized bling turn to companies such as Vanilla Bicycles for a made-to-order experience. The city will play host to the 2008 North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Portland recognizes the financial boost these small bike-businesses bring to the city and the state, and are supporting their efforts. Many of these enterprises were founded out of a love for bikes – decent profits are a welcome surprise to many of these businesses. The Portland Development Commission is helping to improve the business model of several of these smaller companies, and helping them to network and grow stronger together.

“Our intentions are to be as sustainable a city as possible,” said Sam Adams, city commissioner in charge of transportation. “That means socially, that means environmentally and that means economically. The bike is great on all three of those factors. You just can’t get a better transportation return on your investment than you get with promoting bicycling.”

Full article here:

I think Portland is also one of the cities with the highest concentrations of vegans.

I’m wondering if they have a healthy IT sector :).

Soylent Green

The movie “Soylent Green”: shows what life in an American city might be like in a future where the global overpopulation problem has gotten much worse. The movie is often talked about for its story and the surprise ending within that setting. I think the picture it paints of that possible future is much more valuable than the particular details in the plot of the story.

I originally saw this movie as a small boy. Its vision of the future still haunts me to this day. From the nonfictional things I have been exposed to I believe life in America could very much look like this someday unless we change our ways. The images from this film have always been in the back of my mind.