Recently I've been getting more and more annoyed by this organization that I found out about in a very roundabout way through work. It's called the Enough Project and I'd like to stress that I don't think they're bad people or that what they're doing isn't good. That said, they've still been annoying me. One of their primary missions is to try to keep companies from using conflict materials in their products. This is an especially big issue with the civil war in the Congo. The war is raging over mines that produce materials that end up in the batteries that go into laptops, cell phone, ipods, etc. It's a very similar situation to the diamonds from Sierra Leonne, except harder to trace. This is a cause that I believe in and I'm glad they're speaking up about it.
My problem comes from the fact that they've intentionally negleted to mention a huge source of the demand for these batteries, and that is hybrid and electric cars. I know why they've done this, it's because there is a very good chance that people who are concerned about confict materials will also be concerned about the environment, and are therefore very likely to drive such a vehicle. You won't get many people to join your cause if they're forced to make difficult decisions in order to join. The thing is, sometimes the truth is difficult, and avoiding the issue in order to get your message to go down easier undermines the whole cause.
Just to compare, the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Leaf each contain about 200 times the battery materials of a laptop, and the darling of the EV community that is the Tessla Roadster weighs in at nearly 7000 times the amount. Also, since none of the watchdog groups that monitor these conflict materials is comfortable with the idea that cars might be involved, these worst-offender products are also the ones that are monitored the least. This obviously only compounds the issue. I find this kind of hypocracy pretty reprehensible.
There is a way to have both a socially responsible and environmentaly responsible car, and that is a clean-burning diesel. VW makes particularly good high-mpg clean diesels, and I strongly suggest that anybody considering a Prius take a look at a VW TDI first. If you're the letter-writing-to-a-congressman type, then I would like to further suggest algae fuel. This is the only energy source that allows any particular country to be totally energy independant, and is also the only truly carbon-neutral option.
Do your homework kids, and don't be a hypocrite.
My problem comes from the fact that they've intentionally negleted to mention a huge source of the demand for these batteries, and that is hybrid and electric cars. I know why they've done this, it's because there is a very good chance that people who are concerned about confict materials will also be concerned about the environment, and are therefore very likely to drive such a vehicle. You won't get many people to join your cause if they're forced to make difficult decisions in order to join. The thing is, sometimes the truth is difficult, and avoiding the issue in order to get your message to go down easier undermines the whole cause.
Just to compare, the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Leaf each contain about 200 times the battery materials of a laptop, and the darling of the EV community that is the Tessla Roadster weighs in at nearly 7000 times the amount. Also, since none of the watchdog groups that monitor these conflict materials is comfortable with the idea that cars might be involved, these worst-offender products are also the ones that are monitored the least. This obviously only compounds the issue. I find this kind of hypocracy pretty reprehensible.
There is a way to have both a socially responsible and environmentaly responsible car, and that is a clean-burning diesel. VW makes particularly good high-mpg clean diesels, and I strongly suggest that anybody considering a Prius take a look at a VW TDI first. If you're the letter-writing-to-a-congressman type, then I would like to further suggest algae fuel. This is the only energy source that allows any particular country to be totally energy independant, and is also the only truly carbon-neutral option.
Do your homework kids, and don't be a hypocrite.