How timely. Just yesterday I read an excellent post over at the Crunchy Domestic Goddess blog about Michael Pollan's recent "Why Bother?" article.
Personally, I think Michael Pollan is a darn fine writer. He makes SENSE, which is saying something in this nutty society we live in today. But as I mentioned in my comment over on the CDG blog, I sure wish more "green" writers and marketers would focus on the make and model of the vehicle a little less and on people's driving habits a lot more. Here's what I had to say yesterday:
... I do take a slight offense at the line from Pollan about driving an SUV. As someone who drives a Ford Expedition and goes through a tank of gas once every two weeks, give or take, I have to say it’s about time folks started discussing driving habits and choices a lot more heavily than just make and model chosen. We were looking to downgrade into a smaller vehicle - and strongly considered a hybrid - until we learned that the freeway mileage we get in our driven once or twice a week Expedition is just as good, if not better, than the smaller vehicles we looked at.I consolidate errands, and only run errands/shop about once a week. I live within walking distance of a grocery and small shopping area where I can even hit the UPS Store for mailing things. I telecommute and homeschool (thus eliminating the “drive me to school” issue) and I don’t warm up my vehicle unless we live in an area where it’s somehow gotten covered in a *lot* of snow. Whenever we go somewhere that we know other folks will want to go (homeschooling events, family outings, etc) we don’t just tell them about the event, we invite them to ride WITH us. I frequently fill my 8 seats by sharing with another family of 3 or 4! :-)
I know plenty of people with compact cars who use more gas in a week than I use in two months, just because they get “such great mileage” that they don’t think about wasteful habits.
I’d love to see intelligent writers like Pollan publicize the fact that any idiot can buy a Prius and still *NOT* have green habits. *wink* For some weird reason the folks in my area seem to think that driving a smaller car makes them super green - as they drive across town just because they want a cup of coffee from one particular barista, then back across town for groceries, then up the other side for a mall trip…. yeah, you get the point. ....
Plain and simple, being green is not always about what you drive - it's also about how you drive. It's about not trading in a vehicle for a new one every year when the "old" one is perfectly fine. It's just as much about reducing: reducing the miles you drive in a year; reducing the time your vehicle sits idling in drive-thrus, driveways, parking lots, and bus loading zones at the local schoolyard; reducing the extra pollution and wear-and-tear caused by a poorly maintained vehicle; reducing the number of single-passenger vehicles during commute hours and road trips; reducing the wasted minutes and hours of long commutes thanks to living in the 'burbs and driving to the city for shopping, work, or fun.
There are dozens of habits that can offset SUV ownership, even if one is driving more frequently than someone like me. And don't even get me STARTED on the people I see flying down the freeway at 85 mph in their 1970-something VW MiniBus vans covered in "Visualize World Peace" and "Stop Global Warming" stickers - while burning oil (made obvious from the copious spewing of black smoke from their tailpipes) - as they glare at my well-maintained, doing the speed limit, using every seat to commute to an event, satisfies California emissions levels Expedition.
Don't get me wrong - I know full well that not every SUV owner conserves the way our family does. I'd just like to see a few more of the big names recognize the fact that not every hybrid driver is saving the earth either. We can all find room to make improvements, at home and at work. As for me, it'll be via my walk-down-the-hallway commute. 
(In case you're wondering if I'm crazy about how green telecommuting may well be, check out this thought-provoking article by David Roberts about greening business by working less. Hmmmm. Definitely some points for those of you in management and HR to consider for your companies!)
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