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House Lawmakers Oppose New Car Ratings

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Dozens of House lawmakers are opposed to the Obama administration's plan to put letter grades on the window stickers of new cars and trucks that rate a vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Although Republican resistance to the White House is common, legislators are resisting the new car rating system despite the fact that these changes will make it easier for consumers to compare vehicular emissions and save money on gas.

The stickers have not been updated in three decades and the government wants the letter ratings to reflect new technologies and account for emissions affecting the environment. The Obama administration said in August it was considering adding grades ranging from A+ for the most fuel-efficient to D for the least fuel-efficient to the stickers. Under the letter grade proposal, an average vehicle would receive a B- on fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.

On December 8, Fifty-three House members sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department indicating that a proposal to add letter grades to the stickers was biased in favor of electric and hybrid cars and would hurt sales of sport utility vehicles and trucks. The letter was signed by 17 Democrats and 36 Republicans.

These lawmakers object to the fact that the plan favors low emission electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. They support an alternative that would maintain the current label's focus on the miles per gallon rating so as not to highlight the emissions of combustion engine powered cars.


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America's New Car Ratings: Consumer Concerns and Marketing

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Whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a rating system that is based on letters or numbers, for the American consumer, environmental concerns are trumped by concerns about price and concerns about US dependence on foreign oil.

Jack Gillis, director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, said both of EPA's proposed labels are an improvement over the current label, for the American consumer, he concedes that money is still an important concern.

Sticker price is not the only economic concern, annual fuel costs are also important to consumers and therefore important in the marketing of new vehicles.

Concerns about dependence on foreign oil is another priority for American consumers. Gillis said that the CFA's research shows that "concern about our dependence on foreign oil seem to have a greater impact on consumer attitudes than environmental concerns."

According to David Champion, the head of automotive testing for the influential Consumer Reports magazine, credibility will be a critical factor in marketing the new electric cars and building a market for the next generation of electric vehicles.

While some consumers may opt for the new car technology for emotional reasons, the mainstream market has more practical concerns. “It’s going to be a very difficult numbers game for consumers” to decide if the economics justify turning to electric propulsion, Champion said.


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Green School Census

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Although green schools are proliferating, determining the exact number depends on how you define green. An orthodox interpretation would suggest that a truly green school involves both green building certification and a sustainable curriculum.

Green building is a strong and growing trend, according to green building industry leader Jerry Yudelson, green building has continued to grow worldwide, even through the recession. With corporate America greening its real estate portfolio, it is estimated that 10 percent of all commercial construction starts are now green. The estimated value of green building construction has grown to $60 billion in 2010.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction and LEED certification. LEED rating systems are developed through an open, consensus-based process led by LEED committees. Since 2000, USGBC membership has more than quadrupled to 19,957 member organizations and over 5 billion square feet of commercial building space.

While USGBC offers industry leading certification, it may not be the best way to assess the number of green schools. There are a number of schools that do not have LEED certification, but due to their sustainable curriculums, merit being counted as green.

Green curriculums are teaching the skills that will empower people to engage the environmental challenges we face. Sustainable programs are proliferating rapidly, according to a book by Bob Willard, The Next Sustainability Wave: Building Boardroom Buy-In, as of 2005 there were already numerous MBA programs that had integrated sustainability training. As of 2010 green MBAs can be found all across America.

An inclusive approach to assessing the number of green schools involves counting those schools that have made a public commitment to incorporating sustainability into their educational programs and operations. Around the world, there are more than 400 schools that have made a such a pledge.

In a 1990 document known as the Talloires Declaration, school administrators signed-on to a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach.

There are currently 419 signatories of the Talloires Declaration, 164 of these schools are located in the United States, with large concentrations in Canada, England, Brazil, and Australia.
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