Hybrid pickups & SUVs and Eating locally-grown foods

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What is the best eco-friendly vehicle choice for those of us
who need a pickup or SUV? We are about to replace two older trucks with
one that is more fuel-efficient.
-- Barbara Roemer, via e-mail

Fuel efficiency has not typically been the calling card of pickup trucks and sport-
utility vehicles (SUVs). Small hybrid gasoline-electrics are all the rage now among
commuters looking to save money at the pump, but similar technology has been
slower to gain traction in the “light truck” category. Carmakers have made strides
in recent years, though, to meet growing demand for vehicles of all kinds that will
sip and not gulp.

Currently, General Motors is the only carmaker offering hybrid pickups. Hybrid
versions of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 4x4s have been available
since 2005, and get about 18 miles per gallon (mpg)/city and 21/highway. The
non-hybrid versions get 15/19 mpg, but cost $1,500 less. GM claims that those
paying the hybrid premium will get back that extra investment in fuel savings over
three to five years.

Toyota reportedly has plans for hybridizing its full-size pickup line, too. The
company recently unveiled its FTX concept truck, a large 4x4 hybrid pickup,
hinting that technology developed for the project will likely end up in its current full-
size Tundra pickup. But no such models have hit showrooms yet, and Toyota
remains mum about a release date. Meanwhile, industry analysts have been
picking up chatter about a hybrid version of Honda’s popular Ridgeline pickup, but
the company has yet to publicly announce plans.

Regarding fuel-efficient SUVs, consumers have a few more choices. Ford
currently leads the charge with its Escape Hybrid model, a smaller SUV that gets
36/31 mpg. Ford makes similar SUV hybrids under its Mercury and Mazda
brands. Meanwhile, Toyota’s mid-sized Highlander Hybrid SUV clocks in at 32/27
mpg, while the similar Lexus RX 400 Hybrid gets 33/28 mpg. All these vehicles
post significantly better fuel efficiency ratings than their non-hybrid counterparts,
but also cost more up front.

If you’re looking to purchase a new hybrid-electric car or truck in the U.S. before
the end of 2007 you may qualify for a healthy tax credit, depending on the fuel
efficiency of the vehicle. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a 2007
4WD Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra hybrid pickup would garner a tax credit
worth $650 (2WD versions qualify for a $250 credit), and the new 2WD Ford
Escape Hybrid and Toyota’s Highlander Hybrid each qualify for a whopping
$2,600 credit. Buyers of the 2007 Lexus RX 400h can count on getting $2,200
back. The credits are limited to the first 60,000 sold, though, so if you’re looking
to jump on the hybrid bandwagon you should run, not walk, to the nearest
showroom.

Replacing an older truck with a newer model--especially a hybrid--will almost
always guarantee better fuel economy, but it might not be the most
environmentally sensitive way to go, all things considered. Some experts would
argue for keeping the old truck, and fixing and tuning it up, thus preventing another
new vehicle from hitting the roads while an old one clogs up the junkyard.
Repairing an old vehicle is usually cheaper than buying a new one, though it is
difficult to quantify the cost of ongoing maintenance hassles.

CONTACTS: IRS Hybrid Vehicle Tax Credits, www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,
id=157632,00.html; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Fuel Economy
Information, www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/.

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Why do environmentalists advocate that people “eat
locally?” I don’t understand the connection between patronizing local food
producers and environmental quality.
-- Timothy Douglas, Burlington, VT

In our modern age of food preservatives and additives, genetically altered crops
and E. coli outbreaks, as with the recent spinach debacle, people are increasingly
concerned about the quality and cleanliness of the foods they eat. Given the
impossibility of identifying the pesticides used and the route taken to grow and
transport, say, a banana from Central America to our local supermarket, foods
grown locally make a lot of sense for those who want more control over what they
put into their bodies.

John Ikerd, a retired agricultural economics professor who writes about the
growing “eat local” movement, says that farmers who sell direct to local
consumers need not give priority to packing, shipping and shelf life issues and can
instead “select, grow and harvest crops to ensure peak qualities of freshness,
nutrition and taste.” Eating local also means eating seasonally, he adds, a
practice much in tune with Mother Nature.

“Local food is often safer, too,” says the Center for a New American Dream
(CNAD). “Even when it’s not organic, small farms tend to be less aggressive than
large factory farms about dousing their wares with chemicals.” Small farms are
also more likely to grow more variety, too, says CNAD, protecting biodiversity and
preserving a wider agricultural gene pool, an important factor in long-term food
security.

Eating locally grown food even helps in the fight against global warming. Rich
Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture reports that the average
fresh food item on our dinner table travels 1,500 miles to get there. Buying locally-
produced food eliminates the need for all that fuel-guzzling transportation.

Another benefit of eating locally is helping the local economy. Farmers on average
receive only 20 cents of each food dollar spent, says Ikerd, the rest going for
transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. Farmers who
sell food to local customers “receive the full retail value, a dollar for each food
dollar spent,” he says. Additionally, eating locally encourages the use of local
farmland for farming, thus keeping development in check while preserving open
space.

Portland, Oregon’s EcoTrust has launched a campaign, the Eat Local Challenge,
to encourage people to eat locally for a week so they can see---and taste--the
benefits. The organization provides an “Eat Local Scorecard” to those willing to
try. Participants must commit to spending 10 percent of their grocery budget on
local foods grown within a 100-mile radius of home. In addition they are asked to
try one new fruit or vegetable each day, and to freeze or otherwise preserve
some food to enjoy later in the year.

EcoTrust also provides consumers with tips on how to eat locally more often.
Shopping regularly at local farmers’ markets or farmstands tops the list. Also,
locally owned grocery and natural foods stores and coops are much more likely
than supermarkets to stock local foods. The Local Harvest website provides a
comprehensive national directory of farmers’ markets, farm stands and other
locally grown food sources.

CONTACTS: Center for a New American Dream, www.newdream.
org/consumer/farmersmarkets.php; EcoTrust Eat Local Challenge, www.eatlocal.
net; Local Harvest, www.localharvest.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The
Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.
emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read
past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.