Filed under: Trends, Hybrids/Alternative
Green groups not impressed
So what do environmental groups
and advocates think of all the “We are Green” ads being marketed by such companies as Toyota, Ford,
General Electric, and BP? Not much.
According to this report in the International Herald Tribune, they’re not deceived.
“There are some questionable representations,” said Richard Blumenthal, attorney general of Connecticut, referring to Ford’s advertising. “They’re definitely exploiting the fashion of environmentally friendly vehicles.” Blumenthal will consider legal action on the automaker and other companies for possible deceptive practices if they fail to meet their advertised statements.
Even Toyota, the automaker usually considered on the forefront in environment-consciousness, fell flat under ecologists’ scrutiny. The average fuel efficiency of the world’s second largest automaker dropped since 1985 because of the increased number of trucks and SUVs it sells.
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
emulous1974 10:06AM (1/21/2006)
I do think compaines propaganda machines are getting out of hand, but I don't think the automotive industries are as bad as BP's and the latest one from Waste Management (WM is "Green") because they turned a land fill into a park.
I'm kinda embarrassed to be a citizen of CT and have my tax dollars wasted on a frivilous law suit. At least New Yorkers and DCians pay more taxes than we do is one way to look at it.
Reply
Johnny B 11:23AM (1/21/2006)
Green groups can all go to hell...Serve me up some nice V-8 with a side of Hemi...
Green groups have been getting out of hand lately...Have you checked out all of those EcoTerrorist...It all just makes me want to burn plastic...!
These people are nuts!
Reply
Bob 11:54AM (1/21/2006)
At least people are starting to see through Toyota's bulls**t. Any company that is about to come to market with its sixth SUV cannot call itself green, dispite making one Hybrid thats worth a s**t. The rest of its Hyrbid's cost a fortune and are built to add horsepower more than save fuel. That's false advertising if you ask me.
Reply
Richard 12:03PM (1/21/2006)
Eons agon, when I was in grade school, I had a science teacher who taught me: "When you solve one problem, you create at least two more."
So what are the ecological challenges posed by worn-out Prius batteries and how do they compare in terms of environmental toxicity to CO? I guess we'll find out in about 3 more years.
Reply
Ryan 12:12PM (1/21/2006)
"Green groups can all go to hell"
Yeah! Send the people that want to help out earth to HELL with you all. What the f#@^? F#@$%ing hicks.
Reply
Ryan 12:17PM (1/21/2006)
"So what are the ecological challenges posed by worn-out Prius batteries and how do they compare in terms of environmental toxicity to CO"
-Well I live in Nevada, and the Federal Gov. is pushing hard to make Yucca Mountain the nuclear waste dump for the entire United States.
-Some worn out Prius batteries are hardly a scare, just send em' to Nevada and store them, who gives a shit when it's out in the middle of the desert?
Reply
Mick 12:20PM (1/21/2006)
Recently I read somewhere that Henry Ford himself thought that the automobile would have a negative impact on a person's values, sense of self-reliance, etc.
Maybe if we forget all about hybrid vehicles and V-8 engines for a while and try to use shoe-leather express to get from one place to another we wouldn't be a nation of fat, diabetic, anti-intellectual, anti-social, assholes.
Reply
OldCarDog 12:54PM (1/21/2006)
Mick, have you been spending time in church again?
Reply
Bob 1:20PM (1/21/2006)
If someone really wanted to help the environment, the GM EV1 would have sold more units in CA. Despite its short range, it really went far enough for most drivers. (And the continuous-duty motor really hauled ass.)
The enviros like to talk the talk, but really don't want to be TOO inconvenienced.
GM never has gotten credit for being the only automaker to actually live up to California's now defunct mandate to build zero emision cars.
Reply
whofan 4:18PM (1/21/2006)
Toyota has more SUV models than GM if you don`t count badges.
Lot of things in modern society pollute. These green people are they Amish?
Reply
max 7:12PM (1/21/2006)
5. "Green groups can all go to hell"
Yeah! Send the people that want to help out earth to HELL with you all. What the f#@^? F#@$%ing hicks.
Posted at 12:12PM on Jan 21st 2006 by Ryan 0 stars
But they don't - they say they do, but in the end they really aren't for solutions-they just love to complain. Oh, as for the batteries in the desert....isn't that the environment too?!?!
Reply
Andrew McNeil 12:29PM (1/22/2006)
To succeed auto-makers must provide what people really want. The heart of the problem is that most people don't cae about environment.
Oh sure in opinion polls most people say they care, but will they pay the extra $100 let along 1000 for a cleaner car? Will they give up a 5,500 lb SUV with 400 hp? Usually not.
The way to succeed for car companies is to give people what they really want (big, high hp, low-mpg) all while providing a distracting, soothing PR campaign. Driving a huge SUV is fun, but this enjoyment can be reduced by pangs of guilt.
Toyota offers the hydrid, and the press howls that GM should follow this trend (hmm remember when EV's were going to save the world?!). But hydrid sales are subsidized by Toyota and even then the extra cost does not pay for the cost. Meanwhile the Toyota can keep selling Tundras and Sequoias (sp).
So don't worry about the Hummer you drive, enjoy it, heck the climate control knob was made with re-cycled plastic (3% post consumer content)
Reply
far jr 8:11PM (1/22/2006)
Typical... they offer critisism but no solutions. They want automakers to stop making big products that sell and make money...why? Because they don't like them? If half of the people who claim to support the environment would put thier money where there mouth is, companies would sell more hybrids, natural gas, and/ or electric cars and as such would put more research money into them! The are (or have been) cars avaliable in all three catagories above, but the hybrid is the only one close to making a dent into the traditional market.
Reply
ZoomZoomin' 4:27AM (1/23/2006)
"fat, diabetic, anti-intellectual, anti-social,
assholes"
...yes, the automobile is the primary cause of all of that. If you own a car, you obviously can't exercise, read, or have friends (hopefully you're not confusing being introverted with truly being "anti-social"). As for assholes...being an asshole is just something that humans have always done well...check out those history books that the intellectuals read. The automobile may have merely evolved hand gestures and added a few bits of new vocabulary to the dictionary of assholery.
Walking 10 miles to work wouldn't be very fun, so you'd hope that you can (and want to) pay through the nose in any developed city for a shorter/walkable commute depending on where you work. Of course, the problem with public transportation is that you're then stuck (literally) in a vehicle with those weird "assholes" (a.k.a. "people") you were referring to while you're wishing they weren't there. Of course, you're also busy stressing about whether the "anti-social asshole" piloting your public-transportation-of-choice will actually get you to your chosen destination (which hopefully won't change because then you're dropping another $1.25+).
It all kind of touches back on that "solution creating two problems" anecdote someone referred to earlier. Sometimes you can choose/trade your problems, but you're always going to have some problems.
Reply