05-21-2007, 08:48 PM
Fair enough. I got the impression that there were a fair number of people who were convinced that we Americans were fuel guzzling, planet polluting evil-doers. Since that doesn't match my impression of the direction things are going, I thought I should throw in some counterpoint to that. :)
In general, I don't think the culture of energy conservation between Europe and the US are very different. As noted, there are certainly people who drive bigger cars than they need (it bugs me, too) in either case, but I get the impression that people are starting to return to sanity now that gas prices are going up. The 90's were a time of SUV domination (heck, even I drove a Jeep that got 8-10 mpg back before I got my current 20 mpg car) but I think the pendulum is swinging the other way, particularly with continued improvements to the current hybrid technology.
As for Seattle, this is an area that runs on hydroelectric power, homes don't have air conditioning and the support for the environment runs high, so that assessment is correct, but it's not like this is the only environmentally friendly part of the country. :)
In general, I don't think the culture of energy conservation between Europe and the US are very different. As noted, there are certainly people who drive bigger cars than they need (it bugs me, too) in either case, but I get the impression that people are starting to return to sanity now that gas prices are going up. The 90's were a time of SUV domination (heck, even I drove a Jeep that got 8-10 mpg back before I got my current 20 mpg car) but I think the pendulum is swinging the other way, particularly with continued improvements to the current hybrid technology.
As for Seattle, this is an area that runs on hydroelectric power, homes don't have air conditioning and the support for the environment runs high, so that assessment is correct, but it's not like this is the only environmentally friendly part of the country. :)
-TheDragoon