by Jill Miller, Conservation Organizer,
Sierra Club Global Warming & Energy Program
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In the past four years, Sierra Club hybrid vehicle events in Missouri and all over the country have proven to be an amazingly effective grassroots tool for generating interest in and support for the Sierra Club’s national and local clean cars campaigns, a major part of the Global Warming and Energy Program.
The goal of the campaign is to make all cars and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gas. U.S. passenger vehicles account for over 40 percent of the oil imported to the U.S., and 20 percent of our country’s total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Raising overall average fuel economy to 40 mpg would save more oil than we could import from the Middle East or get from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, combined. By putting modern, existing technologies under the hood, our automakers can dramatically curb fossil fuel emissions, save drivers money at the gas pump, and reduce our dependence on imported oil.
Why emphasize hybrids? Because seeing is believing. Incredibly, many Americans still believe that hybrids have to be plugged in, that they’re tiny and unsafe, or that they don’t have the power to drive highway speeds! The best way to dispel these myths is by seeing a hybrid up close and talking to somebody who owns one.
Ultimately, by holding public events where people can look at, learn about, and sometimes test-drive a car that can go from St. Louis to Kansas City and back on one small tank of gasoline, we impress on others that they should expect automakers to do a whole lot better when it comes to gas mileage.
By increasing public demand, the campaign is putting pressure on Ford Motor Company and other carmakers to build more fuel efficient vehicles in all the makes and models people need and want to buy. Currently available technologies include not only full hybrid systems, but also continuously variable transmissions, integrated starter/generators, variable valve control engines, and more aerodynamic designs.
At the same time, public demand strengthens the call for federal action to raise fuel economy standards, and for more states to adopt California’s clean car standards that regulate CO2.
Hybrid car events tend to earn media attention, which increases a campaign’s credibility, effectiveness, and reach. Sierra Club hybrid events have been instrumental to successful efforts to get cities to purchase hybrids for their vehicle fleets, among them Columbia, Missouri and Charlotte, North Carolina. Hybrid tactics also have given us a good opportunity to work with important allies, including faith-based organizations in St. Louis, sheriffs in Florida, Steelworkers, and United Autoworkers. The Ford and Mercury hybrids made at the Claycomo assembly plant near Kansas City are helping to support thousands of good jobs, while lessening the impact on our planet.
Hybrid events can be a good way to showcase other important clean energy solutions, too. In Missouri alone, we’ve held events at bike and pedestrian trail sites, in urban parks, and at farmers markets. We’ve included speakers and displays on a wide range of issues, from carpooling to wind power to green building design. There is no limit to mutually beneficial opportunities.
So the next time you see a hybrid car or hear about an upcoming Sierra Club event, you’ll know that is about a lot more than one gas-sipping vehicle. It’s a message to other car buyers, our automakers, and to elected officials: that we can’t have a truly clean energy future without addressing the cars and trucks we drive.
To get involved with the clean cars campaign, e-mail jill.miller@sierraclub.org.