Demon on Wheels
Not since Speed Racer revved the powerful Mach 5 has there been anything in the racing world to compare with ... Myearthdream???? Okay, maybe Honda doesn't actually call its new Formula One machines by that name, but I think they missed a chance to come up with something good. Something like, I dunno, The Blue Marvel or The Formula E or, I've got it! The Green Racer!No, it doesn't run on hydrogen or cellulosic ethanol or supercooled swamp gas or anything like that. It's a full-on hi-octane petrol-sucking racing machine, but without any corporate logos and instead covered with "a beautiful piece of artwork highlighting our planet Earth." But here's a further wrinkle. That Earth image is made up of 600,000 pixels (times 2 cars, so figure 1.2 million pixels), each of which will carry the name (in microscopic type) of folks (well, kids presumably) who have pledged to make some small energy-saving lifestyle change.
Cynics (guilty as charged) point to the inherent contradictions in all this. I mean, come off it: Greening the F1 seems even more specious than greening Hollywood. And yet, the governing body says it's "carbon-neutral" thanks to carbon credits purchased by the International Automobile Federation to fund reforestation in Chiapas. Furthermore, they say, they have the potential to change the hearts and minds of millions of race fans.
Perhaps. As I said in some earlier post, too bad we can't run our machines on irony or cognitive dissonance. Then, we'd never run out of energy.
8 Comments:
There is a new car that's been designed that uses off-the-shelf technologies and clean fuels, surpasses the latest state global warming standards, while saving consumers money and maintaining vehicle safety.
It's called the Vanguard.
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Find out more on the Union of Concerned Scientists website:
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/avp/
Carbon credits are just an excuse to continue to pollute but feel better about yourself while doing so.... why can't we be true greens
Anonymous, nothing you do pollutes? You've completely eliminated your ecological footprint?
Wow. Congratulations. You really are a true green.
More seriously, you don't see any constructive role for carbon credits?
I think people are too ready to rely on carbon credits too excuse their behavior. I don't think carbon credits are "evil" but I'm afraid people will rely on those instead of taking sincere efforts to go greener. As far as personally.. I have solar panels on my home (of which more than half of the materials were recycled from homes being gutted or demolished to build my home)which account for 60-80% of my home's power use depending on the time of the year.. I drive a hybrid vehicle which gets less than 5000 miles a year on it (I walk or ride my bike most everywhere else), I grow most of my own food (organic means).. and of course I recycle what little waste I have.. I think I am doing pretty well but I am not satisfied with my efforts and continue making efforts to lessen my burden to the environment... Pat, have you ever considered doing a story on the use of recylced denim material for home insulation.. I think it would be of interest to your readers..also, consider checking out LL Beans website, they have a portable solar panel that recharges cell phones for those that use them... we need to be as radical as possible about going green or our earth will eventually collapse...
Thanks for the response. Sounds like you're setting a great example and I salute your efforts.
For what it's worth, I share your ambivalence about carbon credits. At the same time, I think it's a tool we should hone rather than discard. I agree that it can too easily be used as a cheap form of penance, but it's a start and I've seen results with my own eyes; farms in South America with biodigesters paid for with carbon offsets. If people hadn't paid their 'guilt tax,' more methane would be sent into the atmosphere. Now, I suppose, the more radical view is: There shouldn't be livestock farms there in the first place. We should all be vegeterians, or better still, vegans. Maybe so, but that's not the way the world is headed. Per capita meat consumption in China alone has more than tripled in the last two decades. We have to contend with reality.
As for the denim insulation idea, sounds perfect for The Green Life, our lifestyle blog.
Lastly, thought about posting with a name? You don't have to register or give an email address. You can just click "other" and pick any name you like.
Okay.. cool.. call me.... Greenfool.. that sounds as good as any
we need to be more radical to balance out those that couldn't care less about our world
Formula 1 is the second most popular sport in the world, just not in the USA. It is a great advertising platform. The ridiculous "My earth dream" replaced Lucky Strike as sponsor. What is it with 'dream' and Japan?
Honda does use ethanol in the Indycars that race in the USA in the Indy 500.
Maybe Honda can encourage people to drive more fuel efficient technologies like manual transmissions (yes, even environmentalists have to learn how to drive properly!), hybrids (with manual gearboxes), cleaner diesels, lighter weight cars, and less SUVs.
They have had a good track record with efficient cars, but they are also a business, which means they sell what sells, just like Toyota and GM.
Get rid of power wasting "features" such as automatic transmissions, CVTs, daytime running lights (driving distraction and safety detractor), weight, 4wd when not needed, etc.
Lazy, passive cars=unsafe and inefficient cars.
No, I don't work for Honda.
Honda has a long history of using racing to train its engineers, but also develop better technologies for the road.
VTEC (variable valve timing), engine controls, fuel efficient head and block designs, all came out of their Indycar and Formula 1 programs. So before, the criticism about the lack of green with this bizarre ad scheme, think about the knowledge gained by Honda so far that has resulted in cleaner cars that are very efficient.
Honda actually trains its engineers on the racing teams to learn how to innovate in real time, not just an ad campaign like some other car mfgs.
F1 racing is a drop in the bucket compared to what is learned. If you don't like it go whine about NASCAR - there is little gained there for the road driver.
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