Gas prices havent stopped Americans from driving, but
the media are more interested in those seeking solutions to moooving
without gasoline. ABCs Claire Shipman covered a team of Western
Washington University students who created a car powered by gas from
cow manure. Not gasoline, mind you gas. On the May 29 Good
Morning America, Kate Snow reported on the manure magic that
takes methane from the cow product, eventually pumping it into the
specially-designed car. But at just 15 miles per cow (per day), Snow
noted there arent enough cows in the U.S. to power every vehicle.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on May 30 that
outdoor outfitter Timberland isnt as happy about cows natural
processes. The company was concerned about its emissions and
discovered its largest greenhouse gas problem was cows.
As it turns out, the vast majority of the greenhouse
gases associated with manufacturing leather comes from cows in the
field, said Jeffrey B. Swartz, Timberlands president and CEO.
Timberland is examining ways to change the feed for cows, the
Times reported, because Americans are increasingly recognizing that
the effects of carbon emissions on global warming are a serious
problem.
And Forget the A.C.
NBC held up Japan as the energy-saving champion on
the May 29 Nightly News. Campbell Brown introduced the report:
Americans might get some help in stretching their fuel dollars from
overseas. In Japan, gasoline is already over $4 a gallon, and they
have become champion energy misers.
Reporter Mark Mullen detailed some interesting ways the
Japanese supposedly save energy, including shutting off car engines
at stoplights and washing clothes in bathwater. (It was unclear
whether the bathwater was washing clothes or clothes water was used
for bathing.) He also described a program called Cool Biz that had
several companies keeping their office air conditioners at 82
degrees, allowing employees to forego ties for the summertime. That
didnt stop a woman in one of the offices from fanning herself in
the video clip because it was so hot. But the Japanese arent
concerned about rising gas prices, Mullen said.
According to the CIAs World Factbook, Japan slightly
smaller than California is 10 times more densely populated than
the United States. It has about 340 people per square kilometer,
while the United States has about 32. So it should come as no
surprise, but for different reasons than Mullen indicated, that
Japanese consumers yearly use just half the energy Americans do.
Japan has about 43 percent of the population of the United States
not to mention its small landmass requires far less transportation
output.
And Stay in the Driveway
Back in the United States, the summer driving season
began over the weekend. And the media worried: will gas prices keep
travelers at home? Closer to home?
Despite the record number of travelers for Memorial
Day weekend, which The New York Times cited on May 27, just three
days later the Times worriedly proclaimed that Holiday Travelers
Hit the Road, but Scrimped a Bit. A gaggle of reporters across the
country collaborated to find those who had cancelled trips and
barbecued at home to save energy and money. A pair of friends in
northern California stayed on a houseboat but used kayaks to avoid
burning gas.
However, as the article noted about halfway through,
higher gas prices actually should not have that much of an effect.
For an 800-mile round trip, for example, the cost of an additional
dollar per gallon adds up to $40 for a vehicle that gets 20 miles a
gallon. But because the price is so prominently displayed as people
drive, jumps can have a big impact on consumers emotions.
Of course, the article didnt explore the effects of
media hype on consumers emotions.
... And Build a Green House
Enamored with Al Gore and his
carbon-emissions-bashing propaganda,
the media just cant seem to get enough of stories about alternative
energy possibilities, businesses and individuals who are going
green.
Linda Hales May 31 Washington Post feature about the
National Building Museums exhibit on eco-design pushed Gores
movie in the first sentence. Hales said the movie provides the
necessary urgent context for the exhibit. She continued with a
scenario drawn directly from Gores film, followed by a note of
whimsy:
