[sustran] Re: Hybrid cars- and Diesel Greenwash

[Daryl Oster]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Olly Powell
> In New Zealand I filed a formal complaint with the  advertising standards
> authority against Toyota for making exagerated claims about their petrol-
> electric greenwash mobile.

Olly,
What about the exaggerated clams of rail advocates? Do you go after them
with equal zeal?   Or would that defile your dinner plate?

> They were running much more insulting claims in Australian media 
> (Australian issue of National Geographic) trying to
> compare the same car to a bicycle.   
> In the Australian case I could do nothing as their
> equivalent body does not deal with issues of "truthufullness"  and is
> toothless anyway.

It is a shame there are not tough laws requiring truthful representation of
any and all transportation proposals to government.  Trains and rail systems
should be the focus, as they are misrepresented to the greatest degree.  


> I had similar success with a Honda advert, which had to be modified to
> remove the words "environmentally friendly".

I have submitted proof showing that the per passenger kilometer (or mile)
ecology footprint of a bike or walking is greater than for small economical
cars for conducting pure transportation.  You and others have not submitted
evidence refuting this.  


> Lately there is a lot of nonsense being said about "clean" diesel,
> including on this list.
> Nobody bothers to point out that Euro IV Diesel standards are considerably
> lower than Euro IV petrol standards,  and that the nitrous oxide emissions

> of most European Diesels are so high they could not be sold in California.

> In NZ our new "clean" diesel is 50ppm sulphur, making the European figures

> somewhat worse than they would be in
> Europe.

Most trains are Diesel, and not of the clean variety.  The emissions per
passenger mile for typical Diesel trains are worse than for the clean Diesel
cars and much worse than the hybrids you are attacking.  While Diesels emit
more NOX, the hydrocarbons and carcinogens are substantially less (if low
cost and effective electrostatic particulate filters are used).  

> 
> Personally I have no intention of ever purchasing any such trash.  My six
> bicycles take
> up most of the space inmy shed.
> 
> Olly


Why SIX bicycles?  What kind of car do you own, and how does it compare with
the Toyota Prius in sustainability measures?  How many miles do YOU travel
in a year - and what is the share for each mode, including air travel?

Daryl Oster
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