From Blue to Green

New Prius
Originally uploaded by Andrew_Sandstrom

I recently experienced a saddening loss - that of my beloved 10 year old Jeep Cherokee. It was the best car I ever had: practical, modest, and always faithful. Unfortunately, I made a bad decision in lane changing and my Jeep paid the price.

I was short on ideas when deciding how to replace my Jeep. I didn't want any car that was too fancy (or too plain either), or a car that wasn't practical (I've got a lot of musical instruments to lug about). The Toyota Prius was kind of in the back of my mind but I didn't really think about it too seriously until somebody at church mentioned it to me as a good environmental decision.

So, in the end, this has become the new me. Still modest, still practical, and now, more green. Its not just the gas mileage (still working on my first tank after a week, but the computer is telling me about 43mpg so far), its also an AT-PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle).

From the Christian perspective, I think its also a good choice, as far as being a good steward of God's creation (I even found a web site asking"WWJD - What Would Jesus Drive?).

Now, to be honest, I don't want to make this out to be the best thing ever. Its not like I've become entirely environmentally "pure" overnight. The Prius still does use gas, and there have been some studies questioning the entire energy consumption from"dust to dust", factoring manufacturing costs and other things. And I have discovered there can be a "holier than thou" attitude among Prius owners that I'm not particularly fond of.

But I do feel good that I've at least taken a step in the right direction. There are some passages in Jeremiah that describe the consequences of our poor actions and decisions. But I liked what Jeremiah 6:16 says:

Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it

I feel like I'm at the crossroads in this instance. Any major change can only start with small steps. I feel like I'm starting with some small steps.

We just recently saw Evan Almighty. In that movie, Evan wants to change the world but doesn't know how to accomplish it. God (Morgan Freeman) tells him that big changes start with small Acts of Random Kindness. So in Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun, where a car is by default mandatory for survival, I'm hoping this one small act of kindness for the environment.

(PS In the movie, I did notice that when Evan is sitting in a huge Hummer, there is a Toyota Prius behind him).