Letters to Editor, Opinion

LETTER: Plugging ourselves into the future

“Your car did not pass emissions testing” is something that I hear much too often when I bring my Subaru Outback to my local auto mechanic. My car did not pass emissions testing? Surely they must be wrong.

Subaru Outbacks are vehicles equipped to supply any outdoorsman or outdoorswoman with a dose of adventure. With a car that has such a green image, how could I possibly be polluting the clean air around me?

With electric cars, there is no need for emissions testing. That means that you don’t have to spend $300 while an auto mechanic overwhelms you with parts that you don’t need.

Electric vehicles are the truly the perfect commuter car. I know what you must be thinking. “I commute every day, but what if I was planning an extravagant road trip from Boston to Los Angeles tomorrow?” If this was your reaction, then you should probably rethink your decision to stomp your carbon footprint across the country.

“You want an electric vehicle? You must be a hippy.” Not entirely. I was born nearly 30 years after the hippy era. I’m not an eco-freak either, I am someone that cares about our future generations and wants to do something about it.

At the same time as the release of the ‘The Lorax” in theaters, Mazda created a Lorax-themed commercial for their new 2012 CX-5 model, trying to portray the gas guzzling SUV as ‘Truffula Tree Friendly.” If The Lorax, a Dr. Seuss story about resource conservation, endorses a shiny, blue Mazda, who are we to disagree? The industry of fossil fuel powered cars had enveloped itself in a bogus realm of sustainability and ultimately, has stopped society’s need to think for itself.

Instead of letting society’s conceptions of ‘green’ guide us in car purchases, it is time that we make a decision that is actually green. Although fossil fuels will not run out during my generation, the decisions that we make will affect our descendants and the future of sustainability. Each and every day, the importance of our energy-related decisions increases. Our generation needs to come together to raise awareness of the inability of consumers to indulge in a sustainable fuel source and the importance of plugging ourselves into the future.

Jennifer Ruth 

CAS sophomore

jenruth@bu.edu

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One Comment

  1. Great article! Love the Independent thinking!!