covetsthesun
missouri
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Joined: 02/24/2007
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doc brown wrote:texasbaskets wrote:I usually have one of three answers depending on how jokingly they said it...
"Yes, but does your car sleep 6?"
"Right, but the car I'm towing uses nothing, so that cancels it out."
"Ain't she a beauty? Think how many American workers have jobs because of us."
 
Right on! Envy is an ugly thing, but self righteous a**holes are not worth responding to.
If they're really ugly and obnoxious AH's, I agree. Sometimes you get a "teachable moment" though and that's an opportunity to show someone that having an RV, truck or SUV doesn't make you a terrible person out to destroy nature. You do have to be watchful though. There are those that think vandalism is an appropriate method of getting their point across. cts
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Clay L
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Joined: 07/01/2002
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We use fewer resources than we did when we lived in a stick house even though our motor home gas mileage is 7 MPG. The Honda does good- about 26 MPG average and we put less than 4000 miles per year on it.
Our numbers:
12 gallons of water per day versus 160 to 200 gallons per day for two people - average use. (http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qahome.html#HDR3)
We use about 1500 gallons of gasoline per year.
Our sewage outflow (13 gallons per day)is about the same as water useage versus 160 to 200 gallons per day at the stick house.
250 KWH of electricity per month versus 500 to 1000 KWH average for two people.
About 200 gallons of propane per year - would be less but we spend a couple of months in CO in the fall with family and use the furnace some there.
I used close to 1500 gallons of fuel oil per year to heat my 3600 square foot house in NH and at least 1500 KWHs of electricity per month. We put about 4000 miles per year on the car versus 14,000 when we had the house.
The fuel and propane we use is offset by the fuel oil we used in the house. Water and electricty are quite a bit less, so it would seem to me that we are using considerably fewer resources in the motor home than we did in the house.
Clay (WA5NMR), Lee,(Wife) Codi, Brandi (Shelties) and Damncat (damn cat)
Full Timing in a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N, Workhorse chassis, Honda Accord toad
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Sluggo54
Madison, SD
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Joined: 03/10/2006
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"The air is much cleaner now than it was in the 1800s."
It's much cleaner now than in the early fifties. We lived miles from the nearest railroad, but the curtains would be black in a week - packing houses stunk, refineries stunk...
"I'd really like to smack the driver of the Prius Hybrid who threw trash out the window the other day!"
I'd like to smack the ones that weave down the middle of the road, concentrating on the middle-of-the-dash mileage meter, rather than watching where they're going.
We once had a young woman come to our site in Madison CG, Yellowstone, and demand that we turn off our truck. We had just pulled in - jack work and slides were still to be done. No hookups there, so I explained that we needed to conserve the batteries, and would turn off the truck when appropriate. She started a furious green rant about obscene fuel usage, most of which I couldn't understand because she was mostly speaking French. Yup, a French group in one of those monstrous European truck-based RV's that literally requires an 8-step ladder to get into it. Sorry teachable moment fans, I ranted back. How much fuel was used getting that gargantuan rig to the US? How much fuel did IT use in a day's travel? But most of all - get the heck out of my site and leave me alone. The longer you stand here raving, the longer the truck will idle.
Sluggo
DH = Bruce, DW = PK, DD = Maggie (Lab, Pointer, Viszla)RIP 4/13/2007
Apprentice Princess = Kaia Grace (Blue Heeler - Wire Haired Terriorist) Thanks, New Nodaway Humane Society, Maryville, MO!
TV = 2005 Chev CC LWB Max & Allie
5'er = 2005 Excel R30CKW
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covetsthesun
missouri
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Joined: 02/24/2007
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Sluggo54 wrote:"The air is much cleaner now than it was in the 1800s."
It's much cleaner now than in the early fifties. We lived miles from the nearest railroad, but the curtains would be black in a week - packing houses stunk, refineries stunk...
"I'd really like to smack the driver of the Prius Hybrid who threw trash out the window the other day!"
I'd like to smack the ones that weave down the middle of the road, concentrating on the middle-of-the-dash mileage meter, rather than watching where they're going.
We once had a young woman come to our site in Madison CG, Yellowstone, and demand that we turn off our truck. We had just pulled in - jack work and slides were still to be done. No hookups there, so I explained that we needed to conserve the batteries, and would turn off the truck when appropriate. She started a furious green rant about obscene fuel usage, most of which I couldn't understand because she was mostly speaking French. Yup, a French group in one of those monstrous European truck-based RV's that literally requires an 8-step ladder to get into it. Sorry teachable moment fans, I ranted back. How much fuel was used getting that gargantuan rig to the US? How much fuel did IT use in a day's travel? But most of all - get the heck out of my site and leave me alone. The longer you stand here raving, the longer the truck will idle.
Sluggo
Wow, Sluggo...that must have been a PItA. I believe your encounter falls in the category of obnoxious AH's. As an ironic joke you could have told her that the more she ranted at you the more carbon dioxide she was putting out! By chewing you out she was actually polluting the air!LOL Your example does illustrate perfectly what I was referring to earlier. People who have been "greenwashed" thinking that if they don't use papertowels( ) they have saved the planet and it's just fine to ship a vehicle across the sea and back. It's a glaring hypocrisy they either don't see or feel entitled to do. I have friends who display attitudes of smug moral superiority because of the few things they do to be green...yet have no problem whatsoever dumping various assortments of chemicals down the drain that end up in the aquifers.
From some of the previous accounts it does initially appear that using RV's does use less energy and materials than a stix and brix. A variable that may change that equation though... stick built homes do last longer than most RV's. So the immediate larger outlay of materials of the house might, over time, trump the smaller carbon print of the RV. Not sure whether physical longevity would adversely affect energy consumption though.
The real bottom line though...is your life better as an RV'r? Are you healthier, happier and a nicer person to be around? And do you leave your camp site better than you found it? If so...you're leaving a different kind of footprint...smiles and laughter!
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jenoble99
Indiana
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I would have asked her what she drives in hopes her response was a hybrid. Or better yet, just tell her to look into what it takes to make those batteries for the hybrid vehicles. They aren't as green as people think.
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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Joined: 08/19/2009
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3 step response:
1) Our truck & 5er are fully recycled and bet her we use fewer gallons of fuel, kwh's of electricity and water per year. I bet she won't know her numbers and be left with no good arguement. If that doesn't get a good response:
2) We are fending off the next ice age. If that doesn't get a good response:
3) Ask if we can stay in her driveway for a few days to learn the ways of an eco-jedi.
Tammy Mike & the Bilge Rat (AKA: Diego)
Ford F250 7.2L
1997 Sunnybrook 27' 5er
1995 Gemini Sail Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and 5er
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OnSafari
Alabama
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Joined: 03/28/2009
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I found this topic to be a bit interesting and decided to go calculate the difference. The answer will be a bit different for everyone because people have different styles of living.
Here is a Calculator
1991 Safari Ivory Hi-Tech DP
2008 Ford Escape
Shasta - Border Collie mix
Dakota - Blue Heeler mix
Chuck - Vietnam Vet, USMC
Ayn - Darn good cook
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DianneOK
Donnelly, ID
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On that note.....
Dianne
Donnelly, ID
DataStorm
HAM WB6N (Terry)
2005 Teton 39' Frontier Grand
Life Member Good Sam
Escapees
Geocache..."RVcachers"
RV net Blog
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