GOING GREEN GREEN Save fuel, drive a hybrid

CHRISTINA MICHALUK ASST A&E EDITOR

CMM736@CABRINI EDU

Gas prices are shockingly high. The prices may continue to climb over the summer. Consumers are looking for hybrids to elevate some of the cost of high gas prices as well as being more eco-friendly.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, sales of hybrid and diesel-powered cars will more than triple by 2015.

Top car manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota, Lexus and Ford are some of the top producers of hybrid models.

Hybrid cars are more environmentally friendly. They give off 80 percent fewer smog-forming emissions.

They also end up saving you money that you would spend on gas, depending on the model.

“I like the idea of using less gas and polluting less. love sitting at a stop, knowing that my car isn’t spewing fumes from the tailpipe,” Dr. Marilyn Johnson, an English professor, said.

Most hybrids are initially expensive. They can start at $22,000 depending on the make and model. Consumers say that you end up spending less in the end because you save money on high gas prices.

“It is more expensive than your average car. I didn’t buy it to save money on gas,” Johnson said.

Hybrids run mainly on electricity. The way the hybrid works will vary in each vehicle but most have an electric motor that helps to reduce the usage of gas. The electric motor is connected to a battery; The battery recharges itself when the car is running.

Hybrids are quieter because the engine doesn’t run as often as in a car that runs solely on gasoline.

“The Lexus 400 H has different sounds than a SUV that runs on gasoline. I’m getting used to it compared to my other car. It’s quieter,” Dr. Sharon Schwarze, a philosophy professor, said.

The Prius is one of the top-rated hybrid cars on the market.

The car gets 60 miles per gallon for city driving and 51 miles per gallon on the highway.

“It changes the whole driving experience. I look at the Prius screen to see when am using gas and electric. If I am using the gas I try to ease up on my speed,” Johnson said.

Besides the initial cost when buying a hybrid there is also another setback. In the winter hybrids do not run as well as they do in the warmer months. Gas is used more than the electric.

“I don’t know that hybrids are the future but we may end up going that way. Ethanol is not the way and neither are electric cars. Electric cars constantly need to be recharged and ethanol has it setbacks as well,” Schwarze said.

Tips for green living

BRITTANY

According to thegreenguide.com, there are many little things a person can do in their daily lives that are considered “green.”

Check your local traffic report be- • fore leaving the house. Slow traffic contributes eight times as much air pollution on a daily basis than traffic that moves at a steady pace.

Stop the flow of “snail mail.” Pay • your bills on-line and use e-mail to save paper and trees.

Switch from liquid detergents to • powder detergents. Liquid detergents are 80 percent water.

Turn the water off when brushing • your teeth instead of letting it run and take shorter showers to conserve water.

Save your leftovers. Food scraps • make up 23 percent of the U.S. waste stream.

Use natural hair-care products such • as John Master’s line of shampoos and conditioners. They use organic seaweed extract which replenishes shine and moisture.

Recycle! We all know we should • recycle plastic, glass, cans and newspapers but there are tons of recyclable things out there that we don’t even think to recycle. You can recycle your cell phones, shoes, batteries, appliances, electronics, jeans and so much more. Maybe this kind of recycling is more about donating your unwanted goods to those who need them more but it’s better than just throwing them away and adding to a landfill.

Defining “green”

GREEN • – having to do with environmentalism to symbolize nature and health.

ORGANIC • – made naturally and does not involve the usage of any kind of artificial pesticides or preservatives (in reference to food).

ORGANIC COTTON • – cotton grown without pesticides or chemical additives to fertilizer.

REPURPOSING • – taking an item of clothing and reusing/remaking it. Giving it an alternative purpose.

BAMBOO FIBER • – fabric made from the plant bamboo. It’s produced naturally and is biodegradable.

Organic clothing = eco-chic

JESSIE HOLEVA ASST PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

JH734@CABRINI EDU

Caring about the environment isn’t just about hybrids, buying food from specialty shops and planting the free tree elementary schools give out on Earth day. Going green is soaring into the mainstream, specifically the fashion world.

Designers like J.Brand are producing organic cotton jeans for a high fashion price ringing in at over $200. William Sledd, a high hit video blogger on youtube, even talks about going green for fashion. It’s not only for rich hippies or tree huggers. Companies like Victoria’s Secret, Target and H&M are all hitching rides on the green band wagon. Wal-Mart’s been a front runner in the organic trend, although their clientele isn’t completely accepting. American Apparel, a new addition to The King of Prussia Mall, carries organic tees, as does Urban Outfitters.

Gillian Davis, a sopho- more communication major, works at an organic boutique that specializes in skincare. “Why would you want to put anything unnatural on your body?” Davis said in reference to organic clothing.

Davis likes the ecofriendly lifestyle and makes an effort to do her part whether it be wearing a bamboo fiber shirt, organic hat or supporting the musician Jack Johnson that produces environmentally friendly merchandise.

The main material in green apparel is organic cotton. Cotton, the world’s most popular fabric, makes up most clothing items so it makes sense for organic cotton, a green substitute, to be the leader in ecofriendly attire.

The Environmental Protection Agency reported five of the top 10 pesticides used on cotton are possibly or have been proven to be cancer-causing. These chemicals get into the water and soil so it’s important to cut the use by any means.

Other green merchandise includes bamboo, hemp, recycled fabrics and the concept of repurposing is growing in popularity.

Repurposing, taking an item and using it in another way, can be shopping and revamping an old dress into a completely new look or hunting through a thrift shop.

Matt Betz, a senior business administration major, cares more about the environment in the edible genre but has hit up a used goods store. “I wouldn’t buy something new for one use,” Betz said.

Davis goes vintage. “I rock my mom’s late ‘60s gear often. It gives me a unique style,” she said.

However, there’s distress. Even though many companies are taking the green trend to a blossoming height, it’s not heavily advertised in the actual stores.

Magazines like Glamour and Marie Claire may be featuring Earthy brands and lines but walking into an American Apparel it’s difficult to find the products.

Students like Davis and Emily Duncan, a sophomore exercise science ma- jor, would be more likely to drop a few more dollars on an environmentally friendly item.

Betz, like other students on campus, wasn’t even aware of the damage clothing production has on the environment or that there were alternative purchasing options.

There’s an array of green choices from Oscar de la Renta runway designs, to Sam’s Club linens and recyclable Nike sneakers (used to make playgrounds with the Re- Use a show program).

Timberland provides in-depth labels including environmental effects and packages footwear with 100 percent recycled postconsumer waste (PCW) fiber with soy-based inks.

Levi also uses soy- based inks and uses natural indigo dye. Buffalo Exchange is a “guilt-free fashion” haven in Philadelphia where you can buy, sell or trade new or recycled clothing (buffaloexchange.com).

“If it helps the environment, I’m all for it,” Davis said.