Comments on: Greening the Black Car

By: Affan Laghari

Affan Laghari — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:54:44 +0000

@Archer.
Your first point was very valid indeed as we need to consider the entire lifecycle (which is where DfE and ecodesigning come into place). At the same time, we should do good where ever we can. It’s not rational to be either 100% green or nothing.
Secondly, though others have already answered, I couldn’t hold myself. Your mention of Presidio was what we call ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’.
This post has nothing to do whatsoever with any school apart from the author’s personal life.
And even if it does, if a small fish spoils a pond, you don’t blame the pond or other fishes, do you?

By: Paul Smith

Paul Smith — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:27:12 +0000

Thanks Durkee. I’ll answer both: It’s greening, not entirely green we’re talking about here. As you point out, there’s a lot of room for improvement. Bring it on, I say! And while we are where we are, improve on how things currently happen, and give people tools to see their (reduced) impact, encouraging them to look for other ways to do it as well.
As for Presidio, the student you’re likely referring to lived much of the time in San Francisco, and the knowledge, connections, and resources he has gained will enable to him to make a difference far beyond the impact of a few plane flights over 2 years, which he offset.
He actively sought out a domestic option in Europe to meet the same needs/level of knowledge that Presidio offers. It couldn’t be found, at that time. I’m guessing there is or soon will be something of that nature there.

By: Durkee Grow

Durkee Grow — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:17:54 +0000

Archer, come on man, taxis are not going away any time soon. Why not make them better? This is a good thing. As for Presidio, how is one student’s commuting habits the school’s fault? And how is it relevant to this post?

By: Archer

Archer — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:36:57 +0000

An automobile is not “green” until the extremely destructive, degenerative manufacturing process is refined to meet the expectations of low-emergy, cradle-to-cradle, life cycle assessment. I don’t know if this statistic is still accurate but in the 1990s we used to say, ‘60% of an automobile’s emissions and pollution are discharged into the environment before the ignition is installed in the factory’.
I recall that Presidio School of Management has graduated students who have commuted monthly to San Francisco by airplane from Europe. How sustainable is that degree?