Ugh... It almost hurts me to have to write this entry. But there comes a time when some things need to be said and some statements that have previously been made need to be reversed. I'm not saying that I was wrong before. Circumstances change and I couldn't call myself environmentally responsible if I let my pride stand in the way of doing what's best for nature. And so while I've never exactly posted a Green Tip that expressly endorsed driving a Prius, the tone I've taken and my endorsement of fuel efficient cars means that I've taken a fairly pro-Prius stand.
Anyway, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you Green Tip #76: Don't Drive a Prius. I know. It hurts just to read it. Who would've ever thought that I, who would recommend taking out the light bulb in the fridge because it creates too much heat, would tell you not to drive a car that has solar panels powering the air conditioning. But recent events have made driving a Prius just too much of an environmental risk.
In case you haven't heard, Toyota recently recalled a whole bunch of cars because the gas pedals have been sticking. In the pressed down position. As in, you'll soon be going 100 or more miles per hour on your 25 miles per hours residential street. And while I understand that the loss of human life is certainly something to be concerned about, I think we all have to consider what sort of environmental damage this gas pedal thing is causing.
Based on my exhaustive research into the Prius based largely on me glancing at the Wikipedia page, I was able to figure out that the third generation Prius gets around 50 miles to the gallon. That's amazingly good! But when they come up with those numbers, they're basing it off driving at normal speeds, not 100 mph speeds. Based on my slightly more in depth research, it looks like the Prius's gas mileage drops to below 20 once you get over 100 mph. And while that's still twice as good as a certain car that's now made in China that I'm not talking about anymore, that's pretty bad in the grand scheme of things.
So next time you're thinking about hopping in that Prius of yours, think twice about pushing down that gas pedal. Don't forget that you can actually get places from coasting and idling. So until that gas pedal thing gets fixed, I'd recommend parking on a steep hill to get you going.
Showing posts with label fuel efficiency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fuel efficiency. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Green Tip #70: Snow Day
You know me, I like to be topical. And by that I mean I usually don't have any idea of what I'm going to write until I wake up and see my calendar says either Tuesday or Friday and I start trying to come up with ideas that I can use for the IGR. Well, today is no different than any other Tuesday. I had almost forgot that I was going to write one of these Green Tips until about an hour or so ago. So what do I do? I look around at what's happening in my life and in the world to get ideas. Well, those of you in Ohio right now know that the weather here can be summed up in one word: typical.
Yup, a February in Ohio would not be typical if it didn't come with a whole mess of snow and poorly plowed roads and Snow Advisories. And since this snow is all over the place here, I can't think of a better motivation for a Green Tip.
This isn't related to Green Tip #70 at all, but let me just say that I really like snow days. Snow days mean that less people will be out on the roads which means that less gas will be consumed by all these cars. Also, people are driving slower, which is better for the gas mileage. And if we don't use as much gas, Global Warming won't happen, so we'll continue to enjoy more snow days!
Okay, on to Green Tip #70. If you do find yourself having to drive anywhere whenever snow is around, don't be lazy with scraping off your car! Every single snowflake or crust of ice is adding completely unnecessary weight to your car. And that means that much more gas that you'll be burning lugging around all that snow. It's like when I had most of the unimportant parts of my car removed to make it lighter. (Doors, who needs doors? They just slow you down from getting in your car!)
So be vigilant! If you want to avoid having to explain to your grandkids what winter was before Global Warming took over, you need to get that snow off your cars! Or just stay in and drink Cold Hot Chocolate (saves electricity if you don't microwave it). Either way, be safe out there and totaling your car in a snow drift means one more hunk of metal in a landfill somewhere.
Yup, a February in Ohio would not be typical if it didn't come with a whole mess of snow and poorly plowed roads and Snow Advisories. And since this snow is all over the place here, I can't think of a better motivation for a Green Tip.
This isn't related to Green Tip #70 at all, but let me just say that I really like snow days. Snow days mean that less people will be out on the roads which means that less gas will be consumed by all these cars. Also, people are driving slower, which is better for the gas mileage. And if we don't use as much gas, Global Warming won't happen, so we'll continue to enjoy more snow days!
Okay, on to Green Tip #70. If you do find yourself having to drive anywhere whenever snow is around, don't be lazy with scraping off your car! Every single snowflake or crust of ice is adding completely unnecessary weight to your car. And that means that much more gas that you'll be burning lugging around all that snow. It's like when I had most of the unimportant parts of my car removed to make it lighter. (Doors, who needs doors? They just slow you down from getting in your car!)
So be vigilant! If you want to avoid having to explain to your grandkids what winter was before Global Warming took over, you need to get that snow off your cars! Or just stay in and drink Cold Hot Chocolate (saves electricity if you don't microwave it). Either way, be safe out there and totaling your car in a snow drift means one more hunk of metal in a landfill somewhere.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Green Tip #67: First Person Shooters
Ah yes, the infamous First Person Shooters. I'm not going to go in a very long explanation of what an FPS is. I'd say it's pretty clear from the title that these are video games in which the gameplay is from the point of view of the main character and your goal is to go around and teach the benefits of alternative energy to elementary school children. Haha, I'm of course kidding. Your goal is to go around shooting terrorists in the face. It's okay, you don't need to worry if you just killed an innocent person or not. If they really were innocent, you'd probably lose points or the game would end, so as long as that doesn't happen, your conscious can stay clean.
So anyway, the FPS what I've got my sights set on in the third part of my video game series. Green Tip #67 is of course to not play these games. Oh, no, I'm not objecting to the violent content of these games. If anything, all the random killing is just going to help keep overpopulation under control. I've got some serious issues with the other messages that these games are teaching our impressionable youth.
First off, I've never seen a game like this where you have to worry about how much gas the car you just stole is using. I mean, you can just drive Hummers (ah, my dear friend, it's been a while...) around all day long and never run out of gas. When our children turn 16 and are allowed to drive, they are going to be seriously upset that they need to fill up the tank of their Dad's Hummer every 7 minutes. I know game developers have an easy time animating the boxy features of a Hummer, but I think it would be worth it to spend a little longer getting the curves of a Prius right.
And what about all of the buildings that you destroy in these games? I've seen pictures and videos from after 9/11. That debris doesn't just fade away like it does in FPS's. What if video games made you have to take all that rubble to the nearest landfill once you blew up a terrorist's stronghold? That would make you think twice about laying down all that C4.
And finally, have you ever thought about how many bullets you fire in a game like this? Thousands upon thousands. If you're singlehandedly taking down the North Korean army, you can only imagine how many shell casings you're going to be left with at the end of it all. My suggestion is to have a side mission where you gather them all up and sell them to a scrap metal recycling company. The bonus being that you get a little more cash to use to buy more body armor or something like that.
Well, there you have it. The FPS, while seriously flawed, could easily be altered to be much more environmentally friendly. Make sure you come by again on Tuesday, when I'll be wrapping up the stretch of video game themed Green Tips!
So anyway, the FPS what I've got my sights set on in the third part of my video game series. Green Tip #67 is of course to not play these games. Oh, no, I'm not objecting to the violent content of these games. If anything, all the random killing is just going to help keep overpopulation under control. I've got some serious issues with the other messages that these games are teaching our impressionable youth.
First off, I've never seen a game like this where you have to worry about how much gas the car you just stole is using. I mean, you can just drive Hummers (ah, my dear friend, it's been a while...) around all day long and never run out of gas. When our children turn 16 and are allowed to drive, they are going to be seriously upset that they need to fill up the tank of their Dad's Hummer every 7 minutes. I know game developers have an easy time animating the boxy features of a Hummer, but I think it would be worth it to spend a little longer getting the curves of a Prius right.
And what about all of the buildings that you destroy in these games? I've seen pictures and videos from after 9/11. That debris doesn't just fade away like it does in FPS's. What if video games made you have to take all that rubble to the nearest landfill once you blew up a terrorist's stronghold? That would make you think twice about laying down all that C4.
And finally, have you ever thought about how many bullets you fire in a game like this? Thousands upon thousands. If you're singlehandedly taking down the North Korean army, you can only imagine how many shell casings you're going to be left with at the end of it all. My suggestion is to have a side mission where you gather them all up and sell them to a scrap metal recycling company. The bonus being that you get a little more cash to use to buy more body armor or something like that.
Well, there you have it. The FPS, while seriously flawed, could easily be altered to be much more environmentally friendly. Make sure you come by again on Tuesday, when I'll be wrapping up the stretch of video game themed Green Tips!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas Special Green Tip #57: The True Meaning of the Holidays
Merry Christmas week everyone! I hope you enjoy this week's special 4 part series about environmentally friendly Christmas ideas. I figured that I would start the week off with a look into the real meaning behind the traditions associated with the season.
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
Far too often, we get caught up in the commercialized, stressful, meaningless practices and forget that there is a very important lesson to be learned. As we gather together with our friends and families, let us not worry about who bought presents for whom or whether the ham is cooked right or that if you see that stupid beer commercial with the guy who puts lights in his palm tree one more year in a row you'll go crazy and throw the Christmas tree through the window. No, let us instead remember that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting Global Warming.
"Wait. What?" you're probably asking. Well, probably not. After 56 Green Tips, you've probably figured out where I was going with this one before you even started writing this one. But you probably are asking "Wait. How?" Well, once I explain it to you, you'll see just how obvious all of the symbolism really is.
Let's start with Santa. Santa is the model of Green Living. Everything he does is just so environmentally friendly. He employs elves to do his work instead of automating the process which saves electricity. He uses magical reindeer instead of taking an airplane to save on fuel consumption. He very clearly endorses the use of fireplaces to heat your home which saves on natural gas or coal use.
But most importantly of all, he makes a bold statement working out of the North Pole. Al Gore recently said that the polar ice caps could completely melt within ten years because of Global Warming. Well Santa just won't stand for it. His refusal to move to a warmer climate is a bold challenge to the world. "If you pollute, you clearly hate Christmas," is what he's saying. Think about that next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottles. You might as well just punch the Easter Bunny in the nose next time you leave your A/C on too high.
In related ideas, Hanukkah. I don't want my Jewish friends to feel left out of the picture. This holiday is just as important at spreading the message of being green. For those of you that don't know, Hanukkah is celebrated to remember the time when the Jerusalem temple was running low on holy candle oil to praise God with. They only had one day's worth of oil left and they didn't want the candles to go out. But that one day's worth of oil ended up lasting them for eight days, which was a long enough time for them to make more oil.
This clearly has a Green message to it. Candle oil that uses 1/8th the amount of energy? That sounds familiar. It sounds like the ancient Jews were the first ones to design the CFL (the energy efficient spiral lightbulbs). If I were the high priest in charge of the Jewish temple, I'd look into getting that place LEED certified (look it up) because I think they've got a shot at going for platinum.
So you can see that there are environmental messages behind every tradition that we hold dear to us during this season. Don't forget to come back tomorrow, but until then, keep dreaming of a Green Christmas!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Green Tip #18: Be a VERY Defensive Driver
Well, I don't know what to tell you. Things still aren't fixed. The Garbage Patch is still there. (So random, but saying "Garbage Patch" made me think of Cabbage Patch Kids. Garbage Patch Kids would be a horrible horrible toy. Never let me work for Mattel.) Not that I expected it to get fixed in a week, but as far as I know, it hasn't even started shrinking at all. But it's okay for now, I've actually got something more pressing. And I know, nothing is more pressing than the Apocalypse, but, well, this Pacific Garbage Patch isn't directly costing me money, while this new issue is.
Gas prices. I'm pretty sure that over the past few years, we've all wasted way too much time and breath complaining about them then things finally got better about a year ago. Well guess what? They're working their way back up again. Around here, gas prices jumped suddenly from $2.15ish to $2.45ish. Then just a few days ago, they jumped again to $2.65ish. I can see the writing on the wall. Pretty soon we'll have to all start complaining about gas prices again, and honestly, I'm all out of things to complain about. And I'm out of people to complain to.
So here's what other, more "professional" green blogs will tell you to do: "Lame Green Tip #1: Drive slower on the freeways. Dropping your speed from 70 to 65 will increase your fuel efficiency by some percentage." YAAAAAWN. We've heard it all before. "Fill your tires." "Change your oil regularly." Blah Blah Blah. If those methods actually did work, gas prices wouldn't be going back up. They'd still be going down. We need to take things to the next level.
It's common knowledge that half of the population of the world is stupider than the average person. (Think really hard about that. It makes sense.) And the average person has heard the lessons that I mentioned in the last paragraph about driving slow and all that. So, logic will tell you that half of the population of the world does not follow those simple and only mildly effective lessons. Here's where you, the now-very-well-educated readers of the IGR have to step things up. Those people who don't follow those rules are the ones that are causing gas prices to rise and ultimately they're costing you more money.
Here's what you do. Green Tip #18 is to find someone that is driving the optimal speed for gas mileage. It'll vary by car, but it should be around 55 mph. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone who's going that speed. (Hint - these people tend to forget their turn signals are still on, so look for that tell tale sign.) Then all you have to do is pull up in the lane next to them and match their speed. Everyone behind you who would normally be going 75, 80, 90 or more mph will be forced to match your fuel efficient rate of 55 mph and there you have it. Think of all the gas you'll be saving them!
There are a few points to note. First, this works best on two lane roads, but for more you just need to find friends who will be willing to give you a hand. Second, at first the people behind you will be, well, upset isn't a strong enough word. But if you have a bumper sticker that explains what you're doing, that should smooth some things over very well. Make sure you put the link to the IGR (impracticalgreen.blogspot.com) on the bumper sticker too! Publicity is never a bad thing!
But seriously, don't forget about that Garbage Patch, I don't think it's going anywhere soon.
Gas prices. I'm pretty sure that over the past few years, we've all wasted way too much time and breath complaining about them then things finally got better about a year ago. Well guess what? They're working their way back up again. Around here, gas prices jumped suddenly from $2.15ish to $2.45ish. Then just a few days ago, they jumped again to $2.65ish. I can see the writing on the wall. Pretty soon we'll have to all start complaining about gas prices again, and honestly, I'm all out of things to complain about. And I'm out of people to complain to.
So here's what other, more "professional" green blogs will tell you to do: "Lame Green Tip #1: Drive slower on the freeways. Dropping your speed from 70 to 65 will increase your fuel efficiency by some percentage." YAAAAAWN. We've heard it all before. "Fill your tires." "Change your oil regularly." Blah Blah Blah. If those methods actually did work, gas prices wouldn't be going back up. They'd still be going down. We need to take things to the next level.
It's common knowledge that half of the population of the world is stupider than the average person. (Think really hard about that. It makes sense.) And the average person has heard the lessons that I mentioned in the last paragraph about driving slow and all that. So, logic will tell you that half of the population of the world does not follow those simple and only mildly effective lessons. Here's where you, the now-very-well-educated readers of the IGR have to step things up. Those people who don't follow those rules are the ones that are causing gas prices to rise and ultimately they're costing you more money.
Here's what you do. Green Tip #18 is to find someone that is driving the optimal speed for gas mileage. It'll vary by car, but it should be around 55 mph. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone who's going that speed. (Hint - these people tend to forget their turn signals are still on, so look for that tell tale sign.) Then all you have to do is pull up in the lane next to them and match their speed. Everyone behind you who would normally be going 75, 80, 90 or more mph will be forced to match your fuel efficient rate of 55 mph and there you have it. Think of all the gas you'll be saving them!
There are a few points to note. First, this works best on two lane roads, but for more you just need to find friends who will be willing to give you a hand. Second, at first the people behind you will be, well, upset isn't a strong enough word. But if you have a bumper sticker that explains what you're doing, that should smooth some things over very well. Make sure you put the link to the IGR (impracticalgreen.blogspot.com) on the bumper sticker too! Publicity is never a bad thing!
But seriously, don't forget about that Garbage Patch, I don't think it's going anywhere soon.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Green Tip #12: Run Red Lights
Think back, way back to when I first starting posting fun and informative Green Tips for everyone. Do you remember that first day when I explained that some of the Green Tips might be unethical or even worse... illegal (gasp!)? Sorry to say it, but this is one's going to be a big no no when it comes things you shouldn't do if the cops are around. (That would be kind of an interesting blog, by the way if you feel so inspired)
Green Tip #12 was brought to my attention earlier today when I was driving my car. (the Amish kicked me out. It was me or the electric toothbrush, they said.) But anyway, I was driving my car and I noticed the electronic thing that tracked my miles per gallon. Now, for the longest time, I thought that it was just the speedometer and it was just on the fritz. I mean, I had the peddle on the floor and I could never get about 9 or 10 miles per hour! I'm so glad that I figured out what that's for, it'll save me a lot of speeding tickets in the future!
Which brings me to my next point. In place of speeding tickets, I'll probably be getting a lot of tickets for running red lights and stop signs. Because Green Tip #12 is to never stop your car FOR ANYTHING. Unless of course you get where you're going. Then you're free to stop your car all you want. In fact, your friend who's house you're visiting would probably appreciate that.
But seriously. Don't stop. While sitting at a red light, I noticed my miles per gallon were at 0. That's almost as bad as a Hummer. So just as though you should be prepared to explain to the cops how robots will someday take over the world, (go back and read older posts. It's in there somewhere) you need to be ready to explain to cops why it is that you ran 12 red lights in a row.
Special tip: cops are more likely to write you off as just another crazy environmentalist that probably doesn't understand traffic laws anyway if you DON'T drive a Hummer. Seriously, lose the Hummer...
Green Tip #12 was brought to my attention earlier today when I was driving my car. (the Amish kicked me out. It was me or the electric toothbrush, they said.) But anyway, I was driving my car and I noticed the electronic thing that tracked my miles per gallon. Now, for the longest time, I thought that it was just the speedometer and it was just on the fritz. I mean, I had the peddle on the floor and I could never get about 9 or 10 miles per hour! I'm so glad that I figured out what that's for, it'll save me a lot of speeding tickets in the future!
Which brings me to my next point. In place of speeding tickets, I'll probably be getting a lot of tickets for running red lights and stop signs. Because Green Tip #12 is to never stop your car FOR ANYTHING. Unless of course you get where you're going. Then you're free to stop your car all you want. In fact, your friend who's house you're visiting would probably appreciate that.
But seriously. Don't stop. While sitting at a red light, I noticed my miles per gallon were at 0. That's almost as bad as a Hummer. So just as though you should be prepared to explain to the cops how robots will someday take over the world, (go back and read older posts. It's in there somewhere) you need to be ready to explain to cops why it is that you ran 12 red lights in a row.
Special tip: cops are more likely to write you off as just another crazy environmentalist that probably doesn't understand traffic laws anyway if you DON'T drive a Hummer. Seriously, lose the Hummer...
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