Toyota 'prius' should be renamed. . .

[Rapscallion]

Oh, under Sightings we have the 'Roadkill' section for just such occasions. However this has been moved once already, and I don't really feel up to moving it again.

Rapscallion

[Talon]

Oddly, the only people I've ever seen driving a smartcar have been guys...

Just this morning I saw a woman driving one on the highway.

[Andara Bledin]

We have two women locally who own Smarts.

Although I saw a rather big guy (tall, broad, not fat) in one just last week.

^-.-^

[Amethyst Hunter]

Smart money says she doesn't give a damn about preserving the environment, she just wants a trendy way of feeling superior.

"Good for yoooooouuu! I like to be part of the solution and not part of the problem..." *fart* *sniiiiiiiiiiiiifffffffffff* "AHHHHHHHHHH..."

(cookies FTR)

*I* would have to put a set of Truck Nutz on her Prius.

I don't have any strong feelings about the Prius either way, but *those*...abominations... I want to take a pair of bolt-cutters to the ball hitch and leave behind a sticker that says "Your vehicle has been neutered free of charge to help prevent Ugly Overpriced Penile Extension Overpopulation."

[Treasure]

Around here, not only do we have a few smart cars, but we have this (odd) "share-a-car" program with the Smart cars, they have special parking spaces and you can fit like 2 of them in the same parking space as a regular sedan.... I have this.... urge..... to fabricate large "wind-up key(s)" that can be stuck to a car w/ magnets, and then ninja attach them to all the Smart-car-share-a-cars



no, i haven't done it, i'm afraid of possible legal action.... "vandalism" *grumble grumble*

[draggar]

The Smartcars aren't too bad for wind: they're too tiny to have any surface area for it to push against. What you need to worry about is people who pick them up and move them.

It makes it that much easier to steal them! No need to start it!

I always thought they should make a special strap where the owner can just strap the smartcar to their back and take it where ever...lol.

Or like the Jetsons, it folds up into a suitcase?

Someone did mention snow - that would be scary. Driving on the highway with a light to medium dusting and an 18-wheeler flies past you.

"Good for yoooooouuu! I like to be part of the solution and not part of the problem..." *fart* *sniiiiiiiiiiiiifffffffffff* "AHHHHHHHHHH..."

(cookies FTR)

South Park - don't cook the cookie, just give me the dough.

I get Prius drivers complaining to me that I'm killing the environment because I have a Ford Escape for work. Despite the fact that most of the time the gas mileage is in the low to mod 20's (not bad for an SUV - even a small one). I"m not doing anything to save our habitability (yes, that's what we're saving - the Earth will be fine)


- I turn off my office lights & LAN room lights when I'm not in there.
- ALL of my light bulbs in my house are high efficiency. Other than needed a HAZMAT team to clean it up if I break one...
- We use my Kia whenever we don't need the mini van (and yes, we also have a minivan, better mileage than an SUV or van (for the dogs))
- I clean my AC filter twice a month (recommended once a month)
- We have chickens and feed them scraps (not as many mass-production eggs for us)
- We recycle and re-use (I've been using the same water bottle for a couple of years now)
- We have tinting on our home windows to help keep the house darker (and cooler)
- We have ceiling fans and use them (when we're in the room)
- We prefer blankets over heat (but it does make getting out of bed harder!)

Nah, we don't do anything to protect our habitability (I'm also sure there's a lot of other things we do that I can't think of now). I'm sure what I do is a lot more than that Prius driver and has a lot more results.

(I also know another Prius driver who is pretty cool, so its not 100%).

[ravevolution]

. . . I get Prius drivers complaining to me that I'm killing the environment because I have a Ford Escape for work. . .

One of the reasons behind why I posted this thread. Makes me wonder how many of them are actually making a difference when it comes to their 'carbon' foot print aside from driving a environmentally friendly vehicle.

Like hooray for you that your helping the environment and yadda yadda yadda. But I like my 4 banger

[blas]

I think my car is sexy. Fly like a G6

Not ugly at all. He is a sexy man. He didn't come with any accessories, but that's ok. Keeps the insurance low, and lord knows, mama blas needs it after the trauma that Skeeter the Neon caused.

[protege]

I get Prius drivers complaining to me that I'm killing the environment because I have a Ford Escape for work. Despite the fact that most of the time the gas mileage is in the low to mod 20's (not bad for an SUV - even a small one). I"m not doing anything to save our habitability (yes, that's what we're saving - the Earth will be fine)

Typical tree-hugger comment. They all forget that making a new car uses up *huge* amounts of energy and materials, and releases huge amounts of pollution into the air. Sure, a new car is nice, but once you figure that stuff into the equation...any benefits of "saving the planet," quickly disappear. In other words, it would actually be better for the planet to keep an older car, but maintain it.

My 1970 MGB GT might not get 40+ miles per gallon, but it does get pretty good mileage for a 40-year-old car. Considering I engaged in some "spirited" driving from time to time, I see anywhere from about 28 to over 30. Keep in mind that I'm running the original all-iron four-cylinder with twin SU's, and all emissions controls (save the gasoline vapor canister) were binned in the name of performance. Well that, and many of those parts actually cause the car to be *less* efficient!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And then you've got the plug-in Chevrolet Volt (link not NSFW, just nauseating), which doesn't burn fossil fuels if it's got battery power and is driven slower than a certain speed, but its batteries need to be recharged with electricity that is often produced by...burning fossil fuels.

The only way I'd ever consider driving a hybrid is if the price of gas goes way up, and it certainly could for various reasons. But I wouldn't be kidding myself that I was "saving the planet" or some such BS.

[Amethyst Hunter]

South Park - don't cook the cookie, just give me the dough.

Verily, I am pleased by your answer. Would you like that cookie dough from scratch, or does the prepackaged stuff work just as well for you? (Don't worry, I do not knowingly hand out salmonella-contaminated goodies to my would-be minions.)

Things I do to help reduce my earthly impact -

- I recycle what I can, when I can. (My recycle bin is twice as full as my regular trash bin. My only complaint is that this means it fills up faster, and the recycle truck only comes once a week, and not on the same day as the trash truck does.)

- Energy bulbs. Love these things. Wish humanity had invented/started using them sooner. AND they save a good chunk of money! Only problem is that you really have to be careful handling them. They tend to break easier than plain bulbs do if accidentally dropped.

- Water bottles. Okay, I'm guilty of this one. I loves meh bottled water. It's not too practical for me to carry a stainless steel bottle, unfortunately. But I do recycle the bottles when I'm done with them!

- Abstaining from reproduction. The world population is doing just fine without me adding to it. Even in the event of a major catastrophe, me having any kids would still be a Very Bad Thing for any survivors, because said offspring would probably cannibalize them. And odds are, the stupid/annoying survivors would be the last to get eaten. Either way, humanity loses. Aren't you glad that I just stick with raising animals instead?

- I try to run electrical things only when I need them, and I try to unplug 'phantom' sources when I can ('phantom' sources are things - like your TVs or unused cell phone chargers - that may be turned off but are still plugged into an outlet - this can suck away as much as 10% of your energy costs, depending on your layout).

[Mytical]

((Sorry for off topic here))

The water bottle thing. Anybody else notice that less is said about the bottles pop (soda) comes in? Pop (soda) is worse for you also.

I reuse the same bottle many times (basically 1 bottle a day), since I know where its been and who's germs are on it (my own). Just buy one, drink, then fill it up at the water cooler at work. *shrugs*

[ravevolution]

^
I have one of those canteen bottles and store my water (filtered via a britta filter) in it. Alot better than buying cases of bottled water.

[blas]

I have the same 3 bottles of water that I use every day for at least a few weeks at a time before buying new ones, just keep refilling with water. I haven't died yet, and I've done my good deed

[Bella_Vixen]

I'm using the same bottle I bought...6? months ago.

Most of my coworkers think it's gross, but I'm the healthiest person at work, so... :Þ