Do you care about your carbon footprint?
 

In researching TV and deciding to move here later this year I was bit surprised to see what in my opinion is the disregard of folks driving gas powered golf carts around town.

Of the 50,000+ carts there are approximately half gas/elec.

I researched a bit as what the exhaust gases are contributing to the air you breathe.

In 2004 Princeton University reported on the possibility of reducing the amount of gas emissions from the University fleet. A total of 92 golf carts. on campus provided the largest amount of harmful emissions - carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other gases.

Not to post a bunch of calculations and bore you with numbers but 1 gas cart produces about the same emissions as 6 Ford Taurus'

In 2010 Go Green College, calculated based on their 100 carts half gas half elec the following;

50 gas carts generates 161,200 pounds of CO2 a year!
50 electric powered carts generates only 41,700 pounds of CO2 a year!

So about 4 times the about.

So here 25,000 gas carts produce 500 times that amount or 80 million pounds of CO2 a year!

Did I do that math right? 80 million lbs

One of the first things I did after moving into our home was to remove the 3 incandescent 40 watt light bulbs from the driveway lampost and replace them with 3 flourescent 40 watt bulbs that use 9 watts each. That's 120 watts versus 27 watts that burn everynight in front of every home in TV, just imagine if the builder had done that to the over 40,000 homes in TV, how much electricity could be saved in a single evening.

Great,

Go a step further LED bulbs, now you're really saving.

We care very much. Our cart is electric. We recycle about three times the volume of what we put out as trash. We compost. We bought all new energy efficient appliances.

My one regret is that I still have my SUV. We try to use it as little as possible and mainly use the cart. I eventually will replace it with something more fuel efficient. In the mean time, I need something that size to haul all of my dive gear and my paddleboards.

And as usual in this argument not all the facts are presented. How much CO2 does the coal fired power plant produce to generate the electricity to charge the batteries in 25000 golf carts every night? How is the disposal of the 6 batteries average per cart replaced on average every 3.5 years or 2,142,857 pounds of batteries disposal every year contribute to the environment?

Each type of cart has problems. If it bothers you that much, go find a place to live where you can walk everywhere. All of us chose The Villages because of the lifestyle. And that lifestyle is sold, advertised and branded as a golf cart community. So don't now try to tell me the type of cart I have to drive.

This very dumb argument will continue forever. Everyone has an opinion on one side of this or the other and they will never give it up. We should all try to minimize our use of resources. Use lower wattage bulbs where it makes sense, walk when possible, recycle as much as possible and many other things. But the gas vs electric cart just seems to go on forever. I personally own one of each. Love them both and they both have a place in The Villages use requirements.

The figures above included that energy
"50 electric powered carts generates only 41,700 pounds of CO2 a year!"

Even at that, the elec uses 1/4 that of gas carts, agree?

According to battery council international
Environmental Benefits
Lead-acid batteries are the environmental success story of our time. More than 97 percent of all battery lead is recycled. lead-acid batteries top the list of the most highly recycled consumer product.

http://www.gravitaexim.com/images/ba...ng_process.jpg

I didn't think I was telling anyone that ?
Drive what you wish it's your carbon footprint

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We have an electric cart----one of the reasons is that our grown son is asthmatic---he was here for a week recently and actually had a problem with his breathing due to driving through the golf cart tunnels and the gas fume odors that seem to linger there. We recycle everything that is allowed. We also drive a Prius.

We care very much about our carbon footprint.
We drive an electric golf cart and hate to be behind a gas cart.
Our cart holds its charge for so long, we go from one end of the Villages to the other and still have tons of charge left.
We have a young grandchild and we want her to have a healthy Earth as her home.
Jimbo, Thanks for posting this on Earth Day.

The religion I hate most: Greenism!:pray:

Ah, yes. The "wonderful" COAL-FIRED golf cart.

I'd like an electric one in addition to our gas one, and maybe we'll just do that one of these days.

And yes, CMann.....it IS a "religion".

Yes!
 

Yes you did well. And you are right! However you and I are a minority on alternative fuel transportation.

I agree with you on the Carts. You make valid points but as I2RdHD has commented the debate will go on forever!

Just available if anyone is interested my local talkshow. CarGuys www.cnytalkradio.com Saturdays 8-9 1390 WFBL Syracuse NY - streaming on the web

Hey you can go green and still be macho. check out the Green Grand Prix. Welcome To The Official Green Grand Prix Web Site

A Clean sities associate of mine took second place at Watkins Glen in a Compressed Natural Gas Ford F250. :thumbup: I should have Barry Carr on this Saturday from Clean Cities and I will be calling to do my show from TV.

Interesting point, unfortunately.

Glad you care and I guess it's like being behind a bus.

:BigApplause:

not sure yet how much of a minority we may be yet, I'll know more when I move there in few months.

I saw the same naysayers posting the same arguments before however they can't support those positions with facts.

I just impeached the lead waste argument.
biggest advantage is that elec carts don't release harmful toxins into the air and R quieter.

I think anyone can make their own choice, but I hope they make the right choice for what they may be leaving for their children & grandchildren.

We don't really have much choice for somethings that affect the carbon footprint,
but we sure have a choice in a golf cart that does the same function if it's gas or elec.

Not sure if the local dealers are pushing gas over elec based on profit.



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I guess it won't be long now before the environmental wackos will legislate "cleaner" golf carts and that will beat the carts mpg down and the cost up. Me? gas cart when i'm not in that I'm in a 450 horsepower diesel truck hauling a fifth wheel reacreational vehicle spewing carbon all over the USA. I have a gas mower too.

We also have an electric cart which seems to hold a charge forever, even with golfing and driving all over TV. I personally find gas carts to be noisy and smelly, but it is a personal choice, and many people I respect choose gas carts. On a positive note, I've learned to hold my breath for a really long time! Before I enter a tunnel, I take a deep breath, and I don't take another breath until I clear the tunnel. That takes care of my allergy problem.