umm...
written by stevejust , July 20, 2007

The BluTec diesel filled up with biodiesel made from recycled vegetable oil is a pretty attractive alternative to the Prius. The advanced emissions controls and the renewable biofuel route isn't as convenient as a Prius when it comes time to fill up (nor are diesels generally).

But what's bugging me about the query is me thinking about just how tall this guy is. I'm over six feet tall and I don't feel cramped at all in a Prius. It sounds to me like some of that "cramping" is being caused more by the fact that you'd prefer to roll a benz. Maybe a hybrid Lexus GS450h is what you need to test drive next to the E320? Personally, I might go biodiesel E320 over the GS450h, but I'm not sure the E320 is available in CA, even with the BLUTEC technology.

P.S. Comparison of GS450h to BLUTEC E320 to 2004 Prius brought to you by me and www.fueleconomy.gov:

Lexus GS 450h: 22/25 (23 combined) mpg, 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, @$54k

Greenhouse gas emissions: 8 tons a year, scores 8 on EPA air pollution score

Mercedes E320: 23/32 (26 combined), 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, @52k

Greenhouse gas emissions: 8.1 tons a year, doesn’t have an EPA air pollution score

Toyota Prius: 48/45 (46 combined), 0-60 (you’re joking?), you already own it

Greenhouse gas emissions: 4 tons a year, scores 8 on EPA air pollution score

full of spit
written by Michelle Brown , July 27, 2007

I am the new eco consultant and green designer for a line called the pursuit of Harmony. This company is one of a few divisions of a larger co in LA. We have an office in Santa Monica, I have taken it upon myself to"Green certify" our office by the time my line debuts in September.

So I'm plowing through the garbage on a couple days ago, separating the recycling and notice someone has left me a used HP toner cartridge in the original packaging to recycle. Low and behold upon opening the packaging, I see there is a return
label addressed to the HP recycling program.

I was so excited I told one of my co-workers who then told me she had worked for a toner recycler in the past and they had told stories of HP sending their old toner overseas to China and burning (most of them) there. She said that the few pieces that are recycled are metal, the plastics are burned and HP labels (as well as other known brands) are visible in burned piles.

Bummed out, I decided to go to the HP site and found a very green story, a sweet video about how HP has recycled since the beginning of time. I decided that malarkey was too hard to believe so I called the HP recycling headquarters. My experience was not good.

Not only was the guy rude, he immediately asked for my address and when I (jokingly) asked him if he was going to send me a bunch of junk mail, he made some stupid flippant comment. I finally told him, kind of laughing at this point, that all I wanted to know was what happened to the toner once it got back in their (HP”S) hands. He simply had no idea.

I told him that it would be great if the toner cartridges were made of recycled plastic, and asked if he thought the same - he didn’t have anything to say so I asked for his name and hung up.

I still haven’t sent back the toner because I am looking for a local recycling company that I can (possibly) trust. I hope someone from HP reads this; I would love an insider take or at least a half-truth since all I got from their “recycle” helpline was an uninformed douche bag.

This is a great example of corporate gre
written by Tim Johnson , October 25, 2007

I see many companies oblivious to the opportunities they have for plastics recycling. I alway recycle my cartridges and love to help companies open their eyes to the revenue possibilties as well as the green possibilities.