Normally when someone gets a speeding ticket, it doesn't make the news, when the speeding ticket is given in Oregon then it shouldn't make the news, not the national news, not the international news and certainly not the pages of the Green Guardian blog news. But when that speeding ticket is given to the "Former Future President of the United States” as Al Gore Jr likes to refer to himself then it does make a bit of a splash - even here. I like Al Gore. I like Al Gore a lot. I liked Al Gore even before he became known as the most important eco campaigner in the world. Sure there was the whole was-he wasn't-he the inspiration of the film Love Story and the 'I invented the internet" quote... By the way the answers appear to be yes and err no. But the presentation of the speeding ticket does go to show that even greenies can be human and it seems to run in the family. Earlier this year his son, (Al Gore the third) was caught speeding in the family Prius. Although the make of the car that the Father was caught in is only referenced as a "rental car" I like to think it was also a Prius.

Why is this important? Well let’s be absolutely clear. There is no way that I am going to say that speeding is OK. The motorcar and its drivers have been responsible for more deaths than any of the world’s worst dictators, more deaths than either of the great wars and of course it has a great deal of responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. As either of the Gore's will tell you there are things that you can do to reduce the likelihood of hurting anyone else and reducing your emissions in the process. Of course you could cure these problems by getting on a bus, walking or cycling but I am going to assume that some of us are going to need a car at some time so here are some words of wisdom from Friends of the Earth:

1. Don't speed - even in a car like the Prius that reclaims the energy you get from scooting (see footnote) you are going to go through more petrol at high speeds than by driving steadily.

2. Think ahead, just like your driving instructor would have told you for safety reasons, thinking and looking ahead allows you to drive more smoothly and that means that you will be more efficient

3. Drive in a higher gear you will use much less petrol in fifth gear rather than fourth.

4. Maintain your car - If you keep your tyres inflated and your car well maintained this will add a further 3- 10% on your efficiency


Now most eco-groups will also tell you that better than all of the above is to use public transport. For the most part they are right BUT be careful; there is some pretty conclusive evidence that some forms of rail travel are more polluting than even a standard car (if the car is full!). The Pendolino class of train as used by Virgin has a significantly higher emissions use than either other trains OR a fully laden car.

Perhaps Al knew that as he was driving across Oregon, I like to think he was testing how efficient the hire car could be compared to the one in his garage but more likely: he is just as human as the rest of us and probably in more of a hurry than most.



References/ Resources

Al Gore Bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore and controversies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ae_controversies and driving ticket http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/938_gore19.html and his Inconvenient Youth (http://www.ioltechnology.co.zaiSectionId=2891 )

Green Driving Tips http://www.tripnet.org/GreenDrivingTips.PDF

Train or Car: Times Online Rail industry admits that it’s often greener for families to travel by car (http://travel.timesonline.co.uicle2067255.ece )

Channel 4 FactCheck: is the train still greenest? (http://www.channel4.com/news/aest/641792#fold )


Note:

Scooting: One way of boosting your fuel efficiency in a Prius is to accelerate towards the crest of the hill and then use a combination of the hybrid battery and momentum to travel relatively long distances without engaging the petrol drive.