'Driving green' not as simple as it seems

When most folks think about being green with their car, they think about gas mileage and emissions. However, the amount of emission produced by driving can pale when compared to the emissions and toxic waste generated during the construction and ultimate recycling of the car.

When speaking about green vehicles, most assume that the "über green" car is the Toyota Prius. The hybrid does obtain high fuel economy and has low emissions; however, the production of the car and its battery pack - and ultimate recycling - is another story.

Toyota buys 1,000 tons of nickel per year from a mining plant in Ontario, Canada for Prius batteries. The toxic fumes that spew from the factory have destroyed all surrounding vegetation, turning the once verdant and park-like area into a barren and rocky moonscape that could convert even the most hardened capitalist into a tree hugger. This factory has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the dead zone around the plant to test its lunar rovers.

It takes far more energy and creates more pollution to build a Prius than it does a Hummer.

An alternative for the acknowledged "über green" is the Ford F-150. Admittedly, the truck guzzles gas and spews more emissions than the Prius on the road, yet the assembly plant in River Rouge, Michigan, where it is made, is very eco-friendly with its "living roof" and numerous energy-saving technologies. The Ford factory is the only automotive plant in the world to receive a green ISO certification.

The building covers more than 10 acres, and its roof is literally green, covered with Sedum plants that filter rainfall for use in the factory and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Solar panels are used to provide energy. The facility is completely surrounded by more than 100,000 flowering perennials and shrubs and a veritable forest of trees. Even considering that the Ford will be on the road for three times as long as the Prius, it still uses less energy and creates less pollution in the cradle to grave picture.

The American automotive industry has made huge strides towards cleaning up the environment. Emissions from U.S. automotive factories and cars are less than half of what they were in 1970, according to the EPA. This is an amazing statistic given the far greater number of vehicles produced and on the road today. It is not that the industry is exactly green; it still has a long ways to go, but giant strides in the right direction have been realized.

The American car market is on the verge of a complete revolution, which is important information to families who are considering a change to a greener vehicle. The same battle was recently fought in Europe between the hybrid and the diesel, and the humble diesel was the victor. The latest generation of diesels were not just the victor; they closed the door on the gas hybrid so soundly that used hybrids in Europe are almost impossible to resell.

The invasion of modern European-designed diesels in the U.S. market will begin in 2009, and almost all American and Japanese manufacturers have already climbed on board. When last in Europe we drove a Toyota Land Cruiser diesel; on road trips we averaged nearly 30 miles per gallon. The same vehicle is available here but only in a gas version that struggles to get 15 miles per gallon.

Diesels are not the final answer, but they are the best stopgap while waiting for the final solution which most experts agree will be the hydrogen powered car. Unfortunately, the same experts agree that we will not see hydrogen cars for general consumption before 2022 at the earliest.

The opinions in this commentary are solely those of the writer. - The Nugget