hazardous waste (aka the chevy mailbu)

i'm a little less hazardous to the earth right now.

as you may remember, i dispise general moters. and it stressed me out to no end to drive a chevy malibu (what a fuckin' ugly car - long story why i got it, but suffice to say, i never liked it). i really wanted to get a car that was less taxing on the environment. got better gas mileage & lets face it, looked a helluva lot smarter.

dear readers may i introduce to you to my mazda 3 - now forever known as 3:

now, i realize it's not a hybrid, but hybrids aren't really right for me in my situation (amount of highway miles vs. city miles being the big reason) - but there are a couple of things my new 2005 mazda 3 has that certainly make it better than the 'bu:

• better fuel mileage - i should be able to hit 35 mpg on the freeway (a damn sight better than the malibu ever made).
• it's a manual
• it's used. for me it's not just about putting another car on the road, i'd rather find a car that needs a good home, than breed a new one onto the freeway - hey, it's just like getting yer next dog or cat at the shelter rather than pet store.

i've also signed up with terra pass (go ahead and get yours, you know you wanna. all the cool kids are doing it).

terra pass neutralizes (or more accurately offsets) your car's environmental impact by supporting projects that reduce greenhouse gasses. here's how (using 3 as an example):

• 3 emits approx. 9,312 lbs of carbon dioxide (co2) in one year (more than 3x it's own physical weight)
• i pay terra pass a yearly fee ($49.95/depends on make/model & how much you drive)
• terra pass subsidizes projects that reduce greenhouse gas such as:
  -an entrepreneurial wind farmer receives funds to expand his plant.
  - small dairy farmer gets capital to install digesters on his farm to control methane emissions.
• my terra pass is certified to eliminate the equivalent of 3's carbon dioxide emissions

(fyi, the malibu emitted approx. 11,973 lbs of co2 - malibu huh...? sounds aptly named considering the amount of smog out there in malibu)

for giggles, i put some friends car into the co2 calculator (check yours here) to see what they look like (names have been changed, but models remain - no disses intended, i love all my friends and their driving choices):

rae / subaru outback: 10,428 lbs of CO2 per year

bc / mini convertible: 8,236 lbs of CO2 per year

camelback / dodge magnum: 11,445 lbs of CO2 per year

dorothy parker / nothing: 0, she's a public transportation diva

barnes / land rover: 14,223 lbs of CO2 per year

so there you have it. i have a kick ass new car that i love love love and i'm doing something good for the planet (for only $49.95). sure the blue is a little oftputting (it's growing on me - i've never had such a bright car), but it's fun as fuck to drive and the dash looks like something out of star trek.

i be a happy boy.