Originally Posted by
ultimattfrisbee
I think the calculator is geared toward people who own cars and trucks, like me. It's clear that not owning/driving a car is better for the environment and your wallet than owning one, but I think this is a case of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. If a driver of a car wants to drive it less, he should be encouraged for doing so rather than chided for driving it at all.
Yes I agree. It's much better to drive that car as little as possible... especially when you look at the health benefits and, of course, the carbon credits.
What I'm trying to point out is the syndrome I see some car owners getting into. Prius owners are famous for this. They become smarmy about their energy efficient purchase when, in fact, there's a lot of room for improvement and little reason to get too smarmy.
And lest you think I'm getting all smarmy on you, I should point out that my life has a number of such inconsistencies. I don't have a car in my driveway, but I take lengthy airplane trips... far worse in terms of energy consumption than owning a car.
I guess the energy efficiency aspect is going to be a work in progress for all of us.