#6 Money is NOT Green.

The last time we purchased a car, we looked at the Echo, and, wanting to do our part to keep Canada's carbon emissions down, checked out the Prius as well.

The Prius was about $25,000 more than the Echo. The Prius, a hybrid capable of using gasoline and electricity,  was being marketed as a Green car, and, I suspected, being sold for much more than its value as a result.

My previous car was barely drive-able after eight years and we had to pour money into it to get it to its tenth birthday. So with an optimistic lifespan of ten years, did it make sense to spend the extra $25,000 for a Prius?

Doing some quick calculations, it didn't seem like the money we would be saving much money on gasoline would exceed the difference in price between the two vehicles.

However, looking at the reduced emissions from burning less gasoline, even factoring in the coal BC burns to generate electricity, it looked like a Prius is a greener choice than an Echo. The only thing you have to do to be Green is pay more money.

The thing is, money is not Green.

That $25,000 price difference represents a LOT of carbon (and other pollution). In the worst case scenarion, at minimum wage, it takes a person two years to earn that much money.

During those two years they make 500 trips to work and 500 trips back from work. If I remember my days working at minimum wage, those trips are probably being made in a car that barely passes Air Care.

During those two years, the worker purchases food, clothing, shelter and heat, and adds to the environment all of the carbon associated with those purchases.

For financial reasons we went with the Echo, but based on the massive price difference, I am sure we did the right thing environmentally as well.

With a large purchase, like that of a car, it is easy to see how much pollution was generated to create $25,000. But of course every cent has some amount of pollution associated with its making its way into your pocket.

And therefore, every time I pay for something, I am contributing to the pollution of the planet.

Every time I OVERPAY for something, I am polluting the planet for no good reason.

Every time I choose to purchase a more expensive item, I have to think about whether or not I are getting as much extra value for the item as the amount of pollution that has already been put into the environment by the extra money I would have to pay.

I always remember: Money is Not Green. Now if only people spending taxpayer money would remember that as well. But that's for another article.