The Green Market

Hello,

I apologize for having not posted in a bit.  Busy times here with the baby and life.  There are some new pics posted to the right, in my Flickr feed.

I keep seeing the term ‘green’ everywhere these days.  From cars, to IT, to office supplies, green is the new marketing buzz-word.  There is no big secret about how our environment is going and the fact that us humans are to blame, whole-heartedly.  Coommunities all round are trying to make steps toward going green as best as possible.  The green most folks, especially corporate America, are concerned about does not grow on trees.  The extent to which many green initiatives have gone is only as far as it is profitable to the initiator.  Why not? It does not make sense for every company to utilize it’s own resources for non-commercial purposes.  Perhaps companies have a degree of social responsibility toward improving the environment?

Hybrid auto manufacturers have made whole campaigns toward placing themselves well into the green zone as far as the public eye is concerned.  As ‘green’ as many hybrids may be, they still have gasoline engines and use gas just not as much.  Dealers still hike up the prices on these items in accordance with the laws of supply and demand.  I recently priced a 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid and the cost came to just under $38,000.00.  That figure may not be much for some, but it is for me.  I cannot comfortably fit in a Prius, Civic, or Ford Escape for the amount of driving I do.  GM offers a hybrid model of it’s popular Tahoe/Yukon platform, which starts at around $51,000.00.  I guess in order to be green, I must endure crampt and uncomfortable rides in small, over-priced cars.

Public transportation in my area is mediocre for the US, pitiful by European standards.  I live in the ‘burbs’ and work in the city like many folks do.   The only thing green about my current vehicle is the paint.  I routinely spend around $80.00 per week on gas, just commuting.  Imagine what the landscapers and the service-providers are forking out.   When gas reaches $7.00 per gallon, utility trucks and delivery vans will be melted down into hybrid four-bangers, or worse.  The rise in fuel cost affects the cost of providing services and bringing goods to market.

There are many theories behind the rise in prices at the pumps, ranging from probable to crack-pot.  The biggest culprit is the war and the Middle East.  After all, is that not where the oil comes from in the first place?  I hold our government and it’s current administration liable.  The government is in charge, makes the decision, and bears the ultimate responsibility for the state of the nation.  Not to ignore the coincidence of an ‘oil man’ in the White House for the last eight years, and the US control of one-third of the world’s oil supply.  The US has plenty of oil.  What cannot be ignored is the tremendous opportunity of time, place, and position for oil companies to profit.  US consumers are being gouged for sake of company profit, and the US government is behind them all of the way.

No alternative fuel initiative is going to replace oil without government backing, plain and simple… Hybrid technology is a stop-gap measure at best, (sorry hybrid owners). Fuel-cell technology, as demonstrated by Honda Clarity FCX looks to be the most promising.  Too bad it is only in California and for a $600.00 per month lease to qualified lessee’s.  Tesla Motors ‘Tesla’ sports car is another fascinating step in the right direction, but only a wealthy select few will be able to take that step.  The Tesla goes for around $110,000.00 and it’s a two-seater.  Most commuters do not have that kind of scratch for a car and need more than two seats.

I would be happy to take public transportation, if it were near me.  The closest train station is over fifteen miles away from my house.  I might as well keep on going at that rate.  Beside, I would have to take three different trains to make it to my office.  I love my job, it pays well, and the benefits are outstanding.  I don’t plan on moving any time soon.  I spent a few weeks of 2002 in a Scandinavian country, in which I did not speak the language.  I speak about three words of Finnish and that’s about it.  As soon as I found the train and bus stations,  I was all set.  That does say a great deal.  Although I work in Philly and consider myself a Philadelphian, hec I pay taxes there, I am not a city person.  I grew up in the country with dirt, grass, guns, and crickets that chirp at night.  For me to get around a foreign city where I am linguistically deaf and dumb speaks volumes for their public transportation system.

Maybe we could take a cue?