Note to Producers of Planet Green Show Wasted

Many people have been reading my post on the Planet Green TV show Wasted. In my post I talked about the need to put people on who are trying live a greener life and help them take it to the next level. I want to tell everyone I am more than willing to volunteer!! I searched the Planet Green, Discovery Channel, and Wasted websites and I could not find a page that let you contact anyone about the show, sign-up/request to be on the show, or leave feedback.

I would love to be on this show and I am 100% sure it will be entertaining to “catch” someone who blogs about the environment doing wrong. Here are some of the things you can help me with:

1. I don’t have a digital thermostat
2. Always forget to unplug and shut off my computer (as well as other items that should be unplugged)
3. Windows leak air (in the winter you can almost feel the breeze)
4. I have oil heat (maybe to big to tackle in the show but a real problem)
5. I do not have rain barrels

I could go on but I do not want to say that much more! There are obviously items that I listed above that are more than the show probably wants to tackle but for alot of people interested in things “green” and watch the show probably want to see more than the typical wasters. I do want to say that these “waster” families should still be on the show because they provide a reminder of why the rest of us need to change because there are more “wasters” than those trying to live “green” right now.

So please if anyone who works for the show or knows someone who does tell them I am more than willing to be put on the show and expose my green shortcomings especially in the name of education.

Note: if someone actually wants to contact me from the show just post a comment to this blog… I moderate them so I will see it and no one else will… you never know  😉

New Page: Recommendations

I created a page that lists the products, books, and movies that I recommend. The page will have links to either the Amazon.com purchase page for the item or the website of the company. I wanted to provide you with a one-stop resource so you can see what items I have recommended. There are also links to the posts that I wrote about the items so you can read more about them.

Hope you enjoy and find it helpful!

Should I Buy a Hybrid Car?

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.

Current Hybrids
		Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
		Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
		Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
		Ford Escape Hybrid
		GMC Sierra Hybrid
		GMC Yukon Hybrid
		Honda Accord Hybrid
		Honda Civic Hybrid
		Lexus GS 450h
		Lexus LS 600h
		Lexus RX 400h
		Mazda Tribute Hybrid
		Mercury Mariner Hybrid
		Nissan Altima Hybrid
		Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid
		Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid
		Toyota Camry Hybrid
		Toyota Highlander Hybrid
		Toyota Prius

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:

1. Honda Civic
2. Ford Escape
3. Toyota Highlander
4. 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.