The simple fact is that modern societies are designed such that it^Rs near impossible to be truly ^Sgreen^T. And it^Rs done that way for a reason: Profit in the short term. Until such time as the people (Us) who support this system change their spending habits, nothing else will change, either. It^Rs already been mentioned that individuals can do small things, which can add up if enough people do them. I chose not to have children, I recycle, I buy organic and fair trade foods whenever possible, and I drive a very fuel efficient vehicle (Volkswagen Jetta TDI --- 50 MPG highway). That still doesn^Rt make me ^Sgreen^T; it just makes me a little more conscious of the consequences of my existence than the average american. Europeans and other westerners are probably much greener than any american, but it^Rs still just a matter of degree --- we all contribute to the problem. I considered a Subaru Legacy wagon (Outback isn^Rt worth the extra $$$$ IMHO) for a short moment, but Subarus are all gas hogs nowadays --- I had a 1995 Mustang which was more fuel efficient than a Legacy. And, I only need all-wheel drive maybe 5 days out of the whole year, so why pay for something I don^Rt need? I just don^Rt drive those few days, and I^Rm much more likely to live a long life for it, because all-wheel drive doesn^Rt mean all-wheel stop in bad conditions. I^Rd say that 98% of all SUV^Rs and SUV wannabe vehicles are not used for their original intended purpose --- off-road driving. So what's the point of owning one? The Jetta Wagon was a better choice for me, as it has similar cargo space to the Legacy, is far less likely to roll over than any SUV, and since it burns diesel, it consumes far less energy per mile driven than any gasoline powered car or truck. Diesel takes half as much energy to refine, less crude oil to produce than gasoline, and the engine itself is about 30% more efficient, and lasts a lot longer (Meaning you don^Rt need to buy new ones as often). So I guess my point is this: If you don^Rt like what Subaru (Or any manufacturer for that matter) builds, DON^RT BUY IT. Demand drives the market, so demand better efficiency. It only works if you take action with your wallet --- talk does nothing. Wayne On 3 Feb 2004 at 12:30, William Jennings wrote: > This isn't a pissing contest. Subaru sought to forge an alliance with > paddlers to sell them cars/trucks. It seems entirely proper to: 1) > inform those paddlers of the controversy; 2) suggest a means for > interesred paddlers to express their views to Subaru; 3) make the case > that taking such action is: a) feasible, and b) desireable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wayne Smith wsmith16_at_snet.net Check out my website! http://pages.cthome.net/wsmith16/home.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Feb 04 2004 - 07:10:54 PST
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