Quote:
Originally Posted by BigHoss18
I'm curious, seriously, about your statements. Can you provide us a list of all the changes you've made in your life to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you ride a bicycle instead of driving a car? Maybe you purchased an electric vehicle (climate-saving fallacy)? Is your house covered in solar panels made in China? Do you have a wind turbine generating your electrical power? Or are you one of those types that condemn the "rest of us", like celebrities, that fly all over the world willie-nille driving gas-guzzling show-off vehicles? IMHO, climate change/global warming believers/activists are self-aggrandizing hypocrites. Just calling it the way I see it.
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You don't see very much.
I'll answer your questions, though, and I'll be honest about them.
Yes, I drive an EV. While it DID cost more initially, I've saved a BUNDLE on fuel, insurance and maintenance. I honestly can't explain how I managed to save on insurance as most people pay MORE when they replace a 20 year old car with a new, more expensive one. Virtually everything about my car is recyclable. And I'm not worried about the battery dying since I still get almost the same range now as I did 4 1/2 years and 75,000 miles ago. Vehicle maintenance is almost non-existent. I've paid for tires and windshield washer fluid. I'm not lying - even my brakes are like new since my car does regenerative braking with the electric motor. I barely ever need the 'legacy' braking system.
Solar panels? Funny you should mention that. The recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act combined with Putin's war in Ukraine that shot up natural gas prices around the world made solar an option for us. I signed the papers 3 days ago. Even though I use a LOT of electricity (even before I got an EV), I'd signed up for 'green' supplier plans. Combined with the trees on my lot, solar was a no-go. With the events I just mentioned, it just became cost effective. I'll be paying $245/mo on my solar loan for a system that will cover all my usage compared to $250-$535/mo for electricity BEFORE the price hikes that I'm about to see (and pay for until my system goes live - probably in the spring).
This past year, we had an energy audit done and had a lot of work performed on the house with a rebate from the gas company - and our natural gas usage (heat, hot water, oven) has gone down over 30%.
And I don't "condemn" people. Very often, people are using outdated information because, to be honest, things have been changing FAST - and you can't expect everyone to keep up on every development going on in so many places.
So if you're REALLY interested in learning "where we are" today and what's coming next, I'm more than happy to engage in a conversation.
Am I perfect? No. I'd LIKE to be able to replace my natural gas usage even though we just reduced it by quite a chunk - but that's out of the question for now. My electric bill had to take precedence.
I *suspect* your opinion of climate change activists is colored by the lens through which it's presented to you. And if that's all the information you have, then, to be honest, I don't blame you for having your opinion.