New Car Carbon Anxiety March 19, 2012

So, the big excitement in my world is the fact that I’m driving a brand new vehicle. I wanted a small car that gets great gas mileage; my husband wanted a big SUV because he struggled with the idea of downsizing after driving the ol’ Yukon for 10 years. Happily, we met in the middle by settling on a small “cross-over” SUV. It has the cargo space and sits up slightly higher to please him, the non-behemoth feeling to please me, and the pretty respectable fuel economy to please us both. Sounds like a happy ending, right? Sort of, yes. I am really loving the new ride, but I had to face up to the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide printed in black and white on the window sticker. The scores range from 0 to 10, where 10 is the best. According to our sticker, our new set of wheels rates a 5 on their Air Pollution Score and a 6 on their Greenhouse Gas Score. Seeing as how it rates right around the midpoint, this does not seem too stellar. Regardless, we now own this vehicle and I’ll just have justify our purchase by knowing it’s a definite step up from our old one. And, living in a place where the giant diesel-fueled pickup truck is commonplace and the occasional Hummer can still be spotted on the road; I can at least feel better by comparison, right?

If you’re in the market for a new car, there are actually several tools available to help you make a more earth-friendly choice. A different scoring system called The Green Rating, measures a vehicle’s environmental friendliness on a scale of 1 to 100. Like the EPA’s system, the higher a vehicle’s Green Rating, the greener it is and the lower its harm to both human health and the health of the planet. There are also many websites dedicated in whole or in part to this issue. A few sites worth mentioning are Green Car, Green Car Institute, Green Car Congress, and Top Green Cars from Yahoo! Autos. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of information out there these days. I just wish more of my fellow Southerners would take advantage of it. I know I will…assuming our budget is less limited the next time around!

10 “Greenest” States in the Nation (Surprise! No Southern States Make the List) January 19, 2012

In 2011, green building consulting firm, Buildings Guide, assessed all 50 states on three criteria – toxic waste production, alternative energy moves, and carbon footprint – and compiled a list of the top 10 “greenest” states in the nation. Sadly (but not surprisingly), none of them are in the South. The winners are clustered primarily in New England and in the Western U.S. These findings strengthen both my argument for how we’re missing the boat down here and for how we need to get busy influencing our friends and family. Let’s appear on a top 10 list for something other than obesity rates for a change!

See this post from Earth911 to find out if your state made the cut.