[Vwdiesel] environmental concerns

[Steve Dropkin]

>Standing at work today, someone said "you can't drive a diesel and claim
>to be at all environmentally concious".  I didn't know how to respond to
>this. Can someone help???  :)

Sure. Find out what misinformation they've heard about modern diesels
and work from there. Odds on they're thinking of the slow, stinky,
soot-belching semi they were behind on the freeway. You know modern
diesel cars are different.

You can also tell them that, despite the fact that diesels do produce
more visible exhaust, it's the invisible stuff (NOx and the like)
that kills, and diesels produce much less of that. You can argue fuel
economy and alternatives: you're getting half-again the mileage you
could get in a gas VW, and much more mileage than in any number of
popular automobiles. All that oil has to come from somewhere and be
refined and transported. There's an environmental cost to all that.
And what's the alternative? Those expensive hybrids (or electrics)
with huge battery packs? Are those recyclable? Solar? The chemicals
used to make solar panels don't have a half-life -- some of them are
poisonous forever.

Finally, in the case of VWs, German law requires that most of the car
be recyclable. Take apart your recent-model VW and note the recycling
symbols and materials classifications on most of the parts. Offer to
your colleague the option of disassembling their car to determine how
much is recyclable there.

Let us know how you do.

Steve