"In North America we are both beneficiaries of plundered affluence and prisoners of the expectations of the economic and social system that ferried it to us. " Well phrased!
Thanks for sharing Ethan! Tony and I talk about the concept of and costs associated with newer/greener vs. repair/reuse a lot. Last fall, we bought a 2003 Chevy Express van that had already been built out with the intention of selling both of our cars and making that our only vehicle. We don't drive very much in town as it is and I'd also like to have a bit more incentive to rally to take the bike even in poor weather. Relatedly, if we do need another "vehicle" we'd hope to retrofit an existing bike with a motor to make a DIY e-bike build that could be stripped back down to the original frame. For me, the issue with repairing what you have is simply making the time, something I hope to do more of this year.
Nice one, Ethan. I too think about this all the time as we plunge still more dollars into our old cars.
I was also glad to see that nod to Winter – the way Rick Bass treats cars/trucks in that book is one of its standouts for me. (For some reason I can't quite place I read it once a year, in the fall.)
Great exploration of the ethical dilemmas around personal vehicle use. I think about the mining question a lot. Ideally, in the future of transportation, individual car ownership is significantly lessened in favor of public transit and human-powered transportation, but for better or worse it feels inescapable that batteries (for cars and buildings) will still be a massive part of the decarbonization of those two sectors. More mines are needed for that, even though they feel more or less unconscionable to actually be enthusiastic about. I still don't know how I'll feel when my Prius (which I've repaired extensively) dies and I consider buying an EV. I've heard Mark Jacobson say that even with the increase in critical minerals, there will still be ~80% fewer mines overall after the energy transition -- I guess the reduction in fossil fuel extraction more than makes up for new mineral operations -- so perhaps a small silver lining.
+1. "Few consumer purchases are as resource intensive as an automobile, and maintaining something you already own is always the greenest choice". This really spoke to me. I am glad I don't own a car at the moment but I used to own a Prius and I had similar quandaries. Thanks for writing.
It’s been a much more pleasant experience, driving a reliable vehicle. After the old Jetta died, when we first met in Packwood, It became clear that reliable transportation is worth the cost. Additionally, I suspect my carbon footprint stayed about the same, given I haven’t owned a leaking, inefficient junker, since the old Jetta had the radish.
"In North America we are both beneficiaries of plundered affluence and prisoners of the expectations of the economic and social system that ferried it to us. " Well phrased!
Thanks for sharing Ethan! Tony and I talk about the concept of and costs associated with newer/greener vs. repair/reuse a lot. Last fall, we bought a 2003 Chevy Express van that had already been built out with the intention of selling both of our cars and making that our only vehicle. We don't drive very much in town as it is and I'd also like to have a bit more incentive to rally to take the bike even in poor weather. Relatedly, if we do need another "vehicle" we'd hope to retrofit an existing bike with a motor to make a DIY e-bike build that could be stripped back down to the original frame. For me, the issue with repairing what you have is simply making the time, something I hope to do more of this year.
Nice one, Ethan. I too think about this all the time as we plunge still more dollars into our old cars.
I was also glad to see that nod to Winter – the way Rick Bass treats cars/trucks in that book is one of its standouts for me. (For some reason I can't quite place I read it once a year, in the fall.)
Great exploration of the ethical dilemmas around personal vehicle use. I think about the mining question a lot. Ideally, in the future of transportation, individual car ownership is significantly lessened in favor of public transit and human-powered transportation, but for better or worse it feels inescapable that batteries (for cars and buildings) will still be a massive part of the decarbonization of those two sectors. More mines are needed for that, even though they feel more or less unconscionable to actually be enthusiastic about. I still don't know how I'll feel when my Prius (which I've repaired extensively) dies and I consider buying an EV. I've heard Mark Jacobson say that even with the increase in critical minerals, there will still be ~80% fewer mines overall after the energy transition -- I guess the reduction in fossil fuel extraction more than makes up for new mineral operations -- so perhaps a small silver lining.
+1. "Few consumer purchases are as resource intensive as an automobile, and maintaining something you already own is always the greenest choice". This really spoke to me. I am glad I don't own a car at the moment but I used to own a Prius and I had similar quandaries. Thanks for writing.
It’s been a much more pleasant experience, driving a reliable vehicle. After the old Jetta died, when we first met in Packwood, It became clear that reliable transportation is worth the cost. Additionally, I suspect my carbon footprint stayed about the same, given I haven’t owned a leaking, inefficient junker, since the old Jetta had the radish.