Quote of the Day: Ben Terrett on Sustainability
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 10. 8.07
If you ask Porsche about their sustainability policy they will proudly tell you that 60% of all Porsches ever made are still on the road today.
Think about that for a bit.
Now you might think that a gas guzzling 4.8 litre car can never be environmentally friendly, but just think about that stat for a bit. What they’re saying is that 60% of the stuff we’ve made is so desirable, so well put together, so well designed, that people are still using them.
Imagine if 60% of other stuff was still in use. I don’t know about you, but I’d be happy if 60% of the iPods I’d owned were still working.
Imagine if 60% of carrier bags were still being used. Imagine if 60% of computers were still in use today. 60% of food packaging was still in use.
Lewis Mumford, the historian said “Why should we so gratuitously assume, as we constantly do, that the mere existence of a mechanism for manifolding or of mass production carries with it an obligation to use it to the fullest capacity?”
Or why do constantly we make as much stuff as we can, rather than as much stuff as we need?"
Ben Terrett is a graphic designer in London; this is from a presentation given October 3. Via PSFK.
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I would imagine that a significant portion of the claimed 60% is actually held by collectors that are are more or less keeping the cars in storage. Such collectors have additional cars that they use as daily drivers.
Having such cars is actually UNfriendly to the environment, as more resources are tied up in vehicles that are underutilized. It would be better if a car owner buys a car and then actually uses it, rather than buy a car, put it in storage, and then buy a second car for normal use.
Good point. Plus most of the 40% not on the road are re-used for parts or recycled.
Well made products tend to stay out of landfill. They also need replaced less often. And ultimately, the point many overlook in their dash for a parking space at Wal-mart, these products cost the consumer less than their cheap/disposable counterparts.
Driving is fun but no carmaker is "sustainable" or "green", no matter how long it last, no matter how recyclable it is, and no matter what type of fuel it uses. If it's furthering the car culture, it's furthering the destroying of our environment and of our society.
I love driving too but that's all it should be used for. Sports driving on little race tracks with smaller, slower versions of sport cars.
First off most Porsche cars are not 4.8 L gas guzzlers, just saying because I don't like inaccurate statements. Current Porsche cars (not counting the SUV) have 2.7 (Boxter)-3.6L (911) engines. Only the SUV has a 4.8L engine. Granted they arn't built for treehuggers. OK so now that I have cleared that up.
It is true that many of our products are considered "throw-away" these days. "Cheap" electronics and other materials have led us to this. When something breaks how many people just replace it instead of trying to fix it. For that matter where can you take something to fix it, there are fewer and fewer TV repair shops. VCR and standard DVD players are so cheap it would cost more to fix than it would to replace them. For something like an iPod forget it, these things have become totally "disposable" and probably don't recycle well.
Yeah but they're designed that way so they can hit a price point, and allow you to buy a product that you wouldn't buy at all in the expensive version.
Porsches are kept going because of their status and reputation, which was created by focussing on performance.
The reuse rate for fords would not be as high because they don't focus on building ultimate perormance, they build you a car that will do a good all round job. But they'll design you a slightly better all rounder a few years later.
Perhaps if they'd stayed focussed on Henry Ford's original aim of making a 'car you will never need to replace' they would be the Porsche of today! But it's not possible for everyone to be Porsche.
I still repair all my own things. Though I don't know many people that do, as they just don't have the time or the ability to do it.
I was told from my early motorcycle mechanic days "try fixing it first, then replace it if it's too far gone."
I've carried that over to pretty much everything I've ever owned that has failed on me.
The sad part is, it's happening more regularly with newer and shinier items.
Except for cleaner emissions in newer cars, the Porsche is pretty green. It's very well built, meaning it doesn't degrade as quickly as something like a Ford Escort, and can be refurbished, unlike modern cars where a higher proportion of bolt-on is just ripped out, thrown away, and replaced.
Of course, if a Porsche were driven as much as my Mom's Chevette was, back in the day, of course it wouldn't last very long, but what's wrong with using it less, planning your trips and shpping, and enjoying the ride more?
An argument could be made that a heavy old Mercdes Benz or Rolls Royce should be melted down, but Porsches, weight wise, were closer to MGs.