My name is Lydia Hoefel and I am currently a Junior at Ohio Wesleyan. I am an environmental studies and economics management double major. Because I study economics and have great concern for social and environmental justice issues, I oftentimes come across information that makes it difficult for me to form an opinion on the issue.
For instance, I have always routed for hybrid vehicles, or energy efficient vehicles. In my last class, Environment and Natural Resource Economics, I just learned that these vehicles really do no good in reducing CO2 emissions, because people just drive more because they have access to better gas mileage. Wow. Mind= Blown.
It seems that everyday I encounter some bit of information that allows me to change my mind to the exact opposite it was before. Quite the hypocrisy. Well, you’ll come to find that my general confusion is probably more apparent than either of us would like it to be.
Nevertheless, below are two pictures taken in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. I was there last spring to attend their PowerShift Conference and learned several more different perspectives into how the environment should be changed, conserved, what have you.
Me and Our Good Friend, Sarah, at PowerShift
Coal Protest During PowerShift
Lydia! I don’t know exactly how far your interest in fuel-efficient cars goes, but if it’s rather far, you should read Eco Barons at some point in your life. There’s this one guy, Dr. Andy Frank, who has redesigned cars to be basically the only car you’ll ever need to buy.
That’s interesting. I think I remember hearing a blurb about that somewhere. Something about how cars technically aren’t supposed to break down, but auto makers make the parts so that you would have to replace them/ re-buy a car at some point and time. I also remember hearing that the United States has been exposed to fuel efficient technology from some pretty early decade, (50s or 60s, I don’t remember) but yet has never fully invested in implementing such technologies until recently.