Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 11:08:29 -0500
Reply-To: "Donald Baxter / Iowa City, Iowa" <onanov@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Donald Baxter / Iowa City, Iowa" <onanov@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: Diesels on NPR
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
We should also consider the impact of the environmental implication of new
vehicles being built. New cars create their own environmental effects by
their very construction. Keeping an old car somewhat offsets the deleterious
effects of their filthy engines... The old vehicles may pollute, but
they're already here and the materials are already consumed. Putting a new
inline four VW gas engine is a great way to clean up a Vanagon (but I'm
probably not due for this transplant for a long time).
I'm a big supporter of high density communities where walking, cycling and
transit are useful. If we keep insisting on trying to live "rural" lives in
urban areas we're not looking at anything remotely sustainable. New high
density communities are being built where you can't hear your neighbors and
frequently offer the sort of individualistic privacy Americans seem to
require.
Or we can just all live in our Vanagons and park them very close together.
:-)
DB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Dodson" <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 10:13 AM
Subject: Diesels on NPR
> Don had the answer; we need a good, nation-wide mass transit system.
> Even if each one were state run and connected together, like the European
> system, we'd get more than half the cars off the road. It would save all
the
> wear and tear of daily driving on our Vanagons and keep them in better
shape
> for camping and adventures.
>
> A statement was made about using animal fat. Fact is animal fat makes a
pour
> and dirty fuel.
> I'm not saying it doesn't burn well; the problem is it's very sooty, just
> like petrol-diesel. Maybe because it comes from an animal (dino) base like
> crude. It also makes a pour fuel because it solidifies at room
temperature.
> Bio-diesel suppliers in CA have at times laced theirs with small
percentages
> of rendered grease (because it's free), making the fuel unusable at temps
> below 50F without custom fuel heaters.
>
> There will always be those who love gas and those who love diesel. The
> problem here in the USA is we love our cars too much. We need to get past
> that and learn to love the earth (and mass transit).
>
> -Steven Dodson
> Kneeland, CA
> "Inga" the 87 Syncro
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