Some of us demand that our government tighten and enforce environmental laws. When not on Zoom, we drive to environmental organization meetings and fundraisers in our fossil-fueled cars to support … Wait! What?

Exactly. We have reasons why we don’t drive electric vehicles. One, of course, is the initial cost. So we drive our fossil-fueled car and, considering total costs, end up paying more. And the money we think we’re saving by buying a cheaper vehicle is more than lost in fuel and maintenance costs. But it gets worse.

That illusory “saving” is in fact a carbon cost inflicted on the environment. Undoing the damage will be costly. It’s up to us, not the oil companies. Take responsibility. If you can afford a new or used EV, buy one so that your presence at meetings to cure our planet becomes genuine.

Oh, and your gas guzzler? Trade it in. The person who buys it is probably trading up from something even worse for the environment.

Bill Appel

Friday Harbor