As long as you’re trying to be green, you might as well do everything you can to recycle these items as well.

It’s interesting to me that at the inauguration of Barack Obama, so touted and followed because of his “green” policies, it would take 1,350 people several hours stretching into the night-time to clean up the litter in the National Mall. It’s sad that when so much attention is placed on environmental issues, there would be 50 tons of trash to pick up afterwards.

Perhaps it goes back to another post I made previously about people caring to recycle as long as you make it convenient. Perhaps it is the same way with littering. As long as it’s convenient, I’ll dispose of my trash but make me carry it out with me to dispose of somewhere else, now that’s a different story. At least from the story I read, this must have been the mentality of a large number of people at the National Mall that day. Come on, America, let’s show more pride in our great country.

Litter is a bad thing. I used to not even think about the littering I did when I was younger. I know that many people do it today simply because they don’t think. Littering will continue to happen as long as those who litter don’t stop to think.

For me, it took getting caught and paying a fine, along with a stern rebuke from the officer (who was a friend of the family) who pulled me over. Suddenly, I had a complete change of outlook and that changed my behavior. And yet there are some people who want to place the blame on others, just because trash from their place of business ends up on the street. It’s just another example of shifting the blame onto someone else.

To someone who litters, putting anti-littering messages on the packaging doesn’t mean anything. There needs to be a fundamental shift in the way they think about litter.

Why not concentrate on young school kids – the younger the better. Once you convince youngsters of the importance of not littering, they will carry the message (including enforcement) to the rest of their family, much like seat belt education has greatly increased the use of seat belts. Then, implement a punishment such as spending one hour cleaning up litter for anybody caught littering plus a fine. Getting attention and changing habits is the only way to reduce litter; put total responsibility on the litterer, not the maker of the product.

One reader sent the following as an opinion about the possible future of the electric car. I thought it worth sharing with you and would like to know what you think.

“I was watching the BBC America news last night and they were interviewing a gentleman who has instead of inventing a new electric car, he has invented an electric drive chain system that he can adapt to your existing vehicle. So instead of buying a new electric car for around $70,000, you just convert your existing car. The cost for this is $25,000.00 and it takes 1 to 2 days.

My thoughts are, why should I go out and buy a new gas or diesel car for $25,000 to $30,000 knowing that one day, gas and diesel will became a thing of the past? I would much rather pay $25,000 to have my Honda Civic upgraded to electric. My Honda is reliable and comfortable and although the engine has done nearly 200,000 miles, the body work is in fantastic condition.

With an electric upgrade, my car could last another 30/40 years, as long as I look after the body. The new drive chain system does 150 miles per charge, so in my situation, I only need to charge it once a week.”

So, again I ask, what are your thoughts?

Are hydrogen-powered cars really returning to the spotlight? What I would really like is some evidence of how well they work and how easy it is to buy H2. Some real-life examples would be great. Anybody find a web site that offers testimonials? And what about the cost? Who can afford a $600 lease payment? And that’s just for the sedan – I wonder how much the sports car will be?