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I get the cash for clunkers program. I personally don't agree that it is a great idea but I get it. In the hopes that boosting car sales will boost the economy the government seems to me to have done a bit of greenwashing at the same time.
"New cars give off less emissions. This will be a help to the environment."
While that is basically true, the other side of that coin is that millions of old cars that might have been used a few more years are headed to the junkyards. And then there is the environmental cost of creating brand new cars and shipping them from one end of the country to the other. A very thought provoking article on this can be found on Daily Finance
Are We a Generation of Greenwashed Consumers?
I know I am old fashioned. I was raised by parents that lived through the Depression and, although we were comfortable financially when I was growing up, waste was not tolerated. Cars were driven until they could be driven no longer. If something was less than a mile away we walked. Electric light during the day?
"What do you think God created the sun for?", my mother would snap as she switched off the offending light.
I am concerned at a trend that I think I see in the "environmental movement". There is a new hunger for acquisition of the new, the green, the eco-friendly, that is just as dangerous to the environment as the acquisition fever that hit society in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shopping is a necessary evil but it will never be environmentally friendly.
Perhaps a serious economic depression has been averted. I am not an economist so I won't comment on that at all. Will the bailouts allow society to continue in a wasteful pattern of acquisition and overspending? Worse yet, will the bailouts encourage it?
Older cars use more gasoline. They give off more emissions. At the same time they are not rusting in a junkyard, nor is there any energy being used to make them. Added benefit? Expensive gasoline encourages drivers to drive less when possible.
We have become a throw-away society. In past centuries household items were used for generations. Have you ever heard the adage. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" ? That is one of the most environmentally supportive statements in existence. Reuse of old items is great on the environment and the budget.
The cost to the environment to create something that is used for fifty years is much less than the cost of creating something that is replaced every two or four years, no matter what that item is. While the new cars may well have better gas mileage, better emissions control, and a greener profile they still create a new item that will, eventually, need to be disposed of.
There is a point where Americans may have to realize that a more stable environment will only come at the cost of a more spartan lifestyle. The government can't make that mandatory.
We have a lot to learn from former generations.
So What Can You Do with Your Clunker?
Let's face it, cars wear out and you can't keep it forever. There are some things you can do to minimize the impact to the environment:
- Drive your car as long as is feasible. Lets face it, manufacturing a car is hard on the environment. Trading in every few years is not an eco-friendly choice.
- If it needs to be repaired try to replace the part with a salvaged part.
- When you do get a new car make sure that you are getting one that has significantly better gas mileage.Two miles to the gallon is not significant, ten miles to the gallon is.
- Make your new car match your needs. A young couple with no children probably doesn't need an SUV or a van that a larger family may require.
- Consider donating your clunker to a worthy cause. Many charities take clunkers and fix them up to sell to help support their programs.It also means a tax write off for you.
- Sell it to a salvage yard. They won't pay a lot but they will sell off the usable parts and recycle the rest.
ABC News has a great article on weighing the pros and cons of eco-buying a car.
Bottom line? Trading in a car that is still running well and does what you need it to do is not the best you can do for the environment. By drving your car as long as possible and replacing only when necessary you will ultimately be easier on the eco-system than if you traded in your Prius electric every four years for a new one. Anything you buy, including cars, should be bought for the long term and used until there is nothing left.
For more on saving money the green way, check out eco-nomics
If you are interested in more thoughts and ideas about buying less (and reusing more) check out this articles:
Complete Guide to Freecycling
Reuse a Leaky Garden Hose, Make a Soaker Hose
Create an Easy Reuse Station for Office Supplies
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