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To all the naysayers who have said helplessly that there is no way to make a difference in today's world. It seems like nobody listens anymore. Not the government, not the corporations, not the fat cats with all their bags of money.
The world is slowly creeping into oil starvation and irreparable environmental destruction...one person can't make a difference under such odds, right?
Wrong!!!
If there is one thing that practically controls the world, it is consumer purchasing power. The government, corporate fat cats, and anyone else can tell us what we should buy, but ultimately we will buy what we want.
Ford can produce one million giant gas guzzling SUV's and tell us this is the car for us, but if the dealer lots go silent as the Toyota Prius takes over top sales, suddenly the SUV takes a dive and the electric car is all the buzz over at the Ford headquarters.
Wanna know one of the best ways to hinder foreign dependence on oil over the next 20 years?
It certainly isn't offshore drilling, as some would like you to think...it's conservation. And electric transportation certainly could be a pivotal part of this package idea.
If 50 percent of everyone today would lay down the unleaded nozzle and pick-up a plug outlet instead, we could reduce the US oil demand by as much as 33 percent. Considering we depend on the foreign oil market for somewhere around 60 percent of our demand, we would be talking about chopping that in half.
Yes, we would be coal predominantly to run the electric plants, but the energy security and environmental benefits outweigh the negative. But ultimately that decision is up to you more than you may realize.
The next few years will decide which energy source we will be using. We currently have over 40,000 electric vehicles in operation on our roads, which is just a pin prick. But over the next few years that pin could be easily turned into a baseball, and then a basketball, etc...
Chevrolet has just announced the 2010 launch of the Chey Volt.
By 2009 we should see the Smart EV, by 2010 we should be looking at the Mitsubishi i-EV, and by 2011 the THINK Ox should be making its entrance. But all this depends on you and where you decide to spend your money.
Honda has been rumored to be bringing a new hybrid out by next year in the mid-teen price range, so eventually the price difference won't an excuse anymore not to buy one. Offshore is definitely a concern at the moment, but there is more than one way to skin a government official!
Feel the need for sustainable speed? See what eco-engineers are doing to create super-charged but low-impact cars, bikes, and planes on Planet Green TV's Mean Green Machines.
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