June 23, 2008
· Filed under environment, green, life, living, news · Tagged advice, automobiles, autos, car buying, choices, environment, Ford Escape, fuel costs, gas prices, green, honda civic, hybird, hybrid cars, living, new cars, oil, reviews, saving money on gas, Toyota Highlander
My husband and I have been exploring the idea of buying a hybrid car. Last week alone my husband drove enough to put $120 of gas in his PT Cruiser (an above average week of driving but it hit the point home, gas is really expensive). So I started looking at the options.
First, I looked to see what cars come as hybrids. I knew there was not alot but I was suprised how few. Here is what I found when I looked at the ”hybrid cars” section on MSN Autos on msn.com.
Not a huge selection right. So we looked at the list and decided which ones we thought we liked. Here are the ones we are considering:
- Honda Civic
- Ford Escape
- Toyota Highlander
- Tried to talk him into a Prius, he said no way and since he drives ALOT more than I do…
So the Highlander gets 27 mpg and is priced $35,000-$40,000 which is more than we wanted to spend since we are looking to save money because of fuel costs 27 mpgs are not worth our while. So it is basically down to the Ford Escape and Honda Civic.
I called the Honda dealership that I bought my last car from and asked them how long the wait was (I knew there was no way they had any for sale) and they said they would have a shipment in September. He then proceeded to try to talk me out of it. He said that based on average use (I do not know what that means to him but lets assume the national average of 12,000 miles per year) the extra cost of a hybrid Civic from an average Civic is about $5,000. He said if gas stayed at $4.00 a gallon (which it already is not in most of the country) it would take 8 years to pay off the difference. Is he right? Kinda here is the math
Gas cost on a regular Civic per year: (12000 miles/35 mpg X 4.00) $1371.42
Gas cost on a Hybrid Civic per year: (12000 miles/45 mpg X 4.00) $1066.67
Annual savings of about $304… So yes he is about right it takes a long time to make your money back.
Same scenario more miles and higher gas price:
Gas cost on a regular Civic per year: (16000 miles/35 mpg X 5.50) $2514.28
Gas cost on a Hybrid Civic per year: (16000 miles/45 mpg X 5.50) $1955.56
Annual savings of about $589 and if gas prices soar at the same rate they have been $5.50 could be a very low estimate.
Of course the comparison here is between an already extremely fuel efficient car and hybrid so the difference in minimal.
While the dealer is probably right if you drive 12,000 miles or less and you need a new car anyway a regular Civic is not a bad choice. However, if you want to take into consideration the fact the gas prices can continue to soar the balance of savings starts to diminish.
I will keep you updated on the research that I do and the comparisons.
June 17, 2008
· Filed under environment, green, life, living, news · Tagged entertainment, environment, green, life, living, M. Nigh Shamalayn, movie review, movies, news, the happening
I know I blog about the environment so why am I reviewing a movie… especially a non-documentary movie. First I want to start off by saying that the movie was awful. There was very little plot, you really did not know what was happening and you kinda did not care either. I am not a fan of John Leguzamo either so I was not impressed and Mark Walhberg’s wife Zoey Daschel (sp?) was just horrendous. I do not recommend you go see the movie so the rest of this post will not really ruin it for you because I am going to tell you the only good parts or ideas of the movie.
The idea or theme of the movie was brilliant!! It’s execution of it is what I found so terrible. It was basically an environmental thriller. People all of sudden, starting in Central Park, loose their ability to speak coherently, stop walking or walk backwards and then (very quickly) decide they need to kill themselves. For part of the movie you think it is terrorist but you know it is not so you do not believe it. Then there is a theory floated in the movie that it is because of nuclear power plants of which there are many in the Northeast where the movie is based. So there is a brief discussion even if theoritical about the dangers of nuclear power. Then Mark Walhberg’s character figures out that it is the plants basically ganging up against the humans. The plants are trying to get us to realize that we need to respect the planet.
The message that humans are not the only intelligent creatures on this Earth is a fantastic idea. The idea that plants realized that we were killing their home had such potential. In the movie a scientist got on TV and told the people why it happened the newscaster approached his theory with the same skeptical attitude you see so often in a global warming discussion with people who think it just is not happening. The scientist said in one of the last scenes says you will understand when it happens again and it was not just one occurrence and the movie ends with it happening in France.
So the movie had a great potential to tell a horrifying tall of how peoples ignorance for the environment caused their ultimate demise it just was not the best version of a compelling story.
June 9, 2008
· Filed under environment, green, life, living, news · Tagged auto, blogging, cars, corolla, ecogeek.org, environment, facts, fun, gas, green, honda civic, life, living, news, oil, olympics, plastic bags, plastic bottles, portfolio.com, toyota camary, treehugger.com
In researching and preparing to write this blog I have come past various facts that in and of themselves do not warrant their own post so I have been keeping a running list. Since I love little facts and you never know when you will have the opportunity to discuss them with a friend I wanted to share them with you. My husband will particularly like #2 as several years ago I blurted out the fact about the pick-up truck being the best selling car in the US and he STILL makes fun of me about it.
- In 2007 $1.6 billion of jet fuel was burned by planes waiting in line to take off at airports. That’s 740 million gallons of fuel. That is 7.1 million metric tons of CO2.
- The Ford 415 is NOT the #1 selling car this year (as it has been for the last 17 years) it is now the #4 car with Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla taking the top spots.
- London Olympic Stadium is being designed to be demountable, so that it can be sold after the games. Organizers also note that it could be “the first step in a new approach to the games, which could become more like a travelling circus to keep costs down and allow poorer countries to play host.” London is talking to possible 2016 host Chicago because “both cities have decided to build main stadiums with small numbers of permanent seats while erecting giant seating scaffolds for the two weeks of competition. Talks have focused on how London’s stadium might be bolted rather than welded together, ensuring the materials used allow it to function properly in another country and climate, and how sections might fit on a cargo ship.” (from Treehuger.com)
- Americans weigh about 24 more pounds per person than we did in the 1970s. That weight, when we’re driving, has to be moved around with our cars. Multiplied over the three trillion miles driven in America each year, suddenly we need a lot of gas to move around our extra chub. If we could (preferably through walking and biking) lose those 24 lbs and reach 1970’s sizes, America would used nearly one billion gallons of gas lessthan we currently do. (from ecogeek.org)
- 60,000 plastic bags are used in the US every 5 seconds!! (from portfolio.com)
- 2,000,000 plastic bottles are used in the US every 5 minutes. (from portfolio.com)
- 12% of Earths plant species could be extinct in the next 20 years. (from green-networld.com)
I hope to do this kind of post on a regular basis I think alot can be said by looking at these facts. Eventhough I wrote a post about using canvas bags instead of getting a plastic bag at the store it hits you even more when you see the fact above. I hope you found these as interesting as I did.
June 4, 2008
· Filed under environment, green, life, living · Tagged blogging, commuting, environment, gas costs, gas prices, green, life, living, news, oil prices, politics, public transportation, saving money, taxes, tips, transit checks, work
If you are lucky enough to be able to commute to work using public transportation you should go to your boss or your HR representative and ask them to get you Transit Checks!!
Transit Checks are a pre-tax payment for vouchers that can be used to purchase train, subway, and bus passes. The federal government allows you to take a pre-tax deduction of up to $115 per month for the costs incurred with commuting.
Depending on what tax bracket you are in will vary the amount of money you will save on your taxes. But you can save up to $500 or more a year on taxes by using transit checks.
For most people using public transportation, if available, is already more cost effective than just the gas you put in your car (never mind the wear and tear on your car) but if it is close to a break even the transit checks will put you in a better place savings wise.
If your company does not currently offer a transit check program speak to your boss or HR rep about it because it is a great way for the company to show that they are committed to helping their employees salary go farther and make a commitment to the environment. As companies look for ways to say that they are committed to the environment and “going green” this is a small way they can do that and help you save money to.
There is also a separate transit check program with an additional $$ allotment for parking. So if you have to drive to the public transportation and then park in a lot you can get checks that help pay those costs as well.
I personally have used transit checks for my commuting costs as soon as I started working in a location that I could access using public transportation. They are easy to use and accepted everywhere my local bus and train companies accept them. They really are a great way to save money.
Here is the website for a company that provides this benefit:
http://www.transitcheck.com/
