Two areas of major concern regarding the environment are caused by automobiles and by the reduction of rain forests. Simplistically, the answer is to purchase environmentally friendly automobiles and to buy products, the production of which is not causing damage to the rainforests.

At that point, the decision to manufacture earth friendly products by the manufacturers becomes good business.

When one sees what appears to be an effort to help solve the global warming problem it is sometimes difficult to determine whether the effort is real, or just another marketing con job. A look at the advertising of the automobile manufactures serves as a good example.

Here is an example of the scale of the problem: Global Transport facts - again we can change things one person at a time, or by legislating against fossil fuels and for sustainable energy. This is especially true in the U.S. We need to be leaders in this conversion to sustainable fuels, instead we are way behind. See: Countries Pledge to Curb Carbon Emissions.

The arrogance of these people, the auto manufacturers, is mind boggling. They call 30 mpg fuel efficient. By what standards - 1929??? A 1985 Cadillac gets 23 mpg!! Does an 8% improvement in 23 years sounds like they are even trying, or do they feel their investment in the oil companies just hasn't played out yet? (by "they" I mean the executives and major stock holders of the corporations in both industries).

The production of Hybrids is another example of their arrogance. They put an engine that weighs as much as three people in a car (it's basically the same engine as they've been using with the added weight of the batteries), or SUV, or truck that is huge, overweight, and extremely costly. Wouldn't a set of batteries and a gas powered generator work a lot more efficiently? Wouldn't almost anything work more efficiently?

The answer is something you may not like, but it is the only answer. STOP BUYING NEW CARS!!! Do you suppose that Detroit and Japan will get the message if they lose half their clientele? Alternative - buy used cars. If they aren't improving them anyway, what's the point in buying new?

Reasons not to buy new:
• no improvement in gas mileage
• no difference in comfort
• more expensive
• more breakable
• no prestige - is there prestige in being part of the problem?