Sincere Question - Straight Answer

[Felt]

Again, thanks all.

This is a learning experience .... I had to do a bit of research to find out what NIMBY means. Very good!

kenmce - Good point re the diesel locomotive being a hybrid. I should have thought of that inasmuch as I worked on the railroad.

[JimboPalmer]

NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard (No solution should effect me, my scenery, or my property values) Sorry, it is a very old acronym, I thought everyone knew it. No matter what project you have: High speed rail, Wind farms, solar collectors, high voltage line, etc. NIMBY means you can't do that.

[tripp]

Originally Posted by Felt

The Prius cannot pull any of these vehicles and/or trailers, and an EV would be even less likely to do so.

This caught my eye and I have to point out that this is nonsense. Electric motors are far better for towing than any other type of motor. Locomotives are massive electric motors powered by diesel generators. The reason for this, as I understand it, is that electric motors have massive torque at very low RPM. In fact, it's for this reason that the Prius has decent acceleration. Without the electric motor (MG2) the Prius would have very poor acceleration because an Atkinson cycle petrol engine has very low torque at low RPM. Its the synergy between MG2 and the petrol engine that gives the "synergy drive system" it's name, I believe.

Just wanted to put that one to bed. An EV should really have far better towing characteristics than a similarly sized petrol or diesel powered vehicle.

[a_gray_prius]

Originally Posted by Felt

I own a G3, IV Prius; my TV's are LCD; my appliances are new and energy efficient. My light bulbs are mostly fluorescent; my home is new, small and well insulated. The thermostat is set as low as is comfortable with a lap "throw" while seated (watching TV).

Don't take this as a personal attack Felt, because it isn't directed at you. But I'm always surprised by the number of people who say they are concerned about the environment,etc yet have lots of new stuff all the time (e.g. I'm always asking: why do you have a new cellphone/electronics gadget/iPod/etc every 9 months?).

I'm happy you know the value of good insulation though

[timo27]

A little off-topic, but the NYTimes reporter (Andrew Revkin) raisedd the one-child question as follows: "As I put it in the Wilson event: “Should you get credit — if we’re going to become carbon-centric — for having a one-child family when you could have had two or three. And obviously it’s just a thought experiment, but it raises some interesting questions about all this.”

- Those who disagree (andn I am putting this mildly) jumped on him, equeated him to Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Satan, etc. The statement was taken out of context, big-time. See Natural Resources and the Environment - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com for details.

[Felt]

Originally Posted by a_gray_prius

Don't take this as a personal attack Felt, because it isn't directed at you. But I'm always surprised by the number of people who say they are concerned about the environment,etc yet have lots of new stuff all the time (e.g. I'm always asking: why do you have a new cellphone/electronics gadget/iPod/etc every 9 months?).

I'm happy you know the value of good insulation though

No offense taken. That was the "conditions" that I asked the question in the first place. The reason we have new things is we moved all the way across the country. We sold a large 4 BR home in New England, and purchased a much smaller townhome in Utah.

Next month the news will be filled with complaints that spending is down ....... thi will be spoken of as a terrible holiday shopping season. It will be argued that we cannot sustain the economy .... and create new jobs ... without a robust Christmas season of spending ....... on "stuff."

[PriuStorm]

Originally Posted by Felt

No offense taken. That was the "conditions" that I asked the question in the first place. The reason we have new things is we moved all the way across the country. We sold a large 4 BR home in New England, and purchased a much smaller townhome in Utah.

Next month the news will be filled with complaints that spending is down ....... thi will be spoken of as a terrible holiday shopping season. It will be argued that we cannot sustain the economy .... and create new jobs ... without a robust Christmas season of spending ....... on "stuff."

That's one of the things that has to change too... this obsession with 'stuff', and 'new' stuff at that.

When you need a tool, device, etc., before you go to the store, do you check the thrift shop? How about Craigslist? Freecycle? Maybe you can make do with a similar thing you already own and just improvise, or perhaps go knock on your neighbor's door and ask if you can borrow his (while making community at the same time). In short, we need a global attitude change about 'stuff'.

Oh, and here's an idea for you too... take out the lawn (if you have one) and put in a veggie producing garden with a few fruit trees to boot.

[Politburo]

Originally Posted by Felt

Strangely, environmentalist are the biggest critics of wind farms. In Boston, the proposal to build a large farm 13 miles out in the ocean has been completely stymied by environmentalist. You would think they would be the strongest advocates.

Without getting too OT, this is false. What is accurate is that some opponents are using environmentalism as their excuse for objecting to the project. All of the major environmental interest groups are in support, and are some of the strongest advocates.

Please be careful when using generic terms.

[icarus]

Economics is the only "science" that is predicated on the notion that unlimited growth is not only possible, but desirable! Living well with less is a much smarter goal. I heard a stat once that suggested that of all the stuff you buy today (or any day) 99% will be gone within 12 months. Not just food and consumables, but "durables" as well. This includes packaging and products.

So buying junk just to keep some minimum wage guy employed at WallMart is not smart. The reality is, in North America, there is plenty of "wealth" to go around. Plenty to feed, cloth and house every one. The problem is that it is concentrated in too few hands. (No I am not a commie, I am just making the observation!!!)

We live a very comfortable middle class lifestyle on about 1/2 the income of our peers. We do this by not buying stuff we don't need! We also make choices that have benefits (even beyond us) going forward. Buying a Prius instead of a SUV like my brother. Solar heat and solar hot water, both of which came at some small up front cost, but over time allows us to live "more cheaply".

If everyone lived like we did, the "economy" would come to a screeching halt, but, in the long run, the world would be a better place.

Think globally, but act locally!

Icarus

[richard schumacher]

When the option is available the easiest thing that the average person can do is to contract with their electric utility to provide 100% renewable or non-fossil electricity. A coal-fired power plant releases almost two pounds of CO2 for every kW-hr of delivered electricity. At 50 MPG a Prius releases one pound of CO2 for every 2.5 miles driven. Check your electric bill and odometer and do the math for your own situation.