First of all, I need to admit I am not one of the most environmental or green persons. Said that, I do pay attention on environmental issues but I also feel that the whole subject has gone over the limits, leaving plenty of people just wondering what should we do. Yes, I am having a diesel car, I do recycle glass and paper and notice if products are having some valuable link to recycled materials. But there are certain limits, too.

Last week Sweden was in headlines with their plans to put CO2 footstep labels on food packaging. Okay, from Scandinavian perspective so much stuff needs to be shipped – or air freighted – from south during the winter months, that there is a certain link to CO2 emissions, too. We can do the same locally but obviously not without a huge amount of energy to produce the warmth and light the vegetables need. So, I guess we end up with two sides of the same coin; are we shipping the stuff from south or using a lot of energy to make the local production possible? Honestly, I am not sure about the difference and how that could, or should be counted.

What is that CO2 emission value all about? I don’t have a clue – I mean any real understanding what the strange number in car advertising tells us, and I guess that’s the point with most of us. C’mon – tell me what you car is really doing over every mile or kilometer you drive with that “139 g/km” or “5 tons per year” CO2 emission number? Yes, I know. You don’t have a clue. But don’t worry; we are not alone with this. But that’s the key in the development of environmental values; as long as we just think we know, it’s about fashion and trend. That’s all. Next topic and this is just history.

In many countries CO2 has been mostly linked to taxation issues, supporting the price of new cars with more advanced technology and lower CO2 emission levels. Plenty of consumer research published telling the stories of consumers changed attitudes towards more advanced cars. Yes, there are plenty of cars sold around the world, but I am not buying the story about more environment friendly cars as a reason to buy. All Cash-4-Clunkers –type of programs in US or UK are just discounts, called now as government’s support for more environmental friendly cars. You just want to get rid of your old car and buy a new with government-supported voucher! I don’t want to sound pessimistic but maybe a quick look on the global CO2 emission statistics will tell you that changing our cars in western world won’t save the Mother Earth here. But sure good for car business, so well done during these challenging times!

And what the heck happened with that ozone nightmare we all were so effectively alarmed about 10 years ago? When did you hear about ozone last time? It’s done, I guess. Otherwise media and politicians would still talk about that, right?

I made my decision and just join the environmental movement on a level suitable for me. I do apologize but that means driving a car, even sometimes those stupid short trips and so often alone, flying on airplanes around the world as long as someone will launch the time-transformation-device taking my body into molecules and send those from Scandinavia to California in 1.2 seconds and rebuild myself for a customer meeting. Also, I keep buying food produced far away from the eating-location, and I do keep enjoying wine not produced in walking distance from my home; as long as I am not able to move my office and home into a vineyard – not bad idea either. But that all means I do care about the future of this globe and act as environmental-friendly-guy I can. And I do expect car business, every industry and airplane manufacturer developing better technology to save the planet. Otherwise all the talks of individual actions are like saving the world by wearing sandals made of recycled car tires. Nice product and great value-added-image but seriously; I guess we need something more, right? Or maybe this all CO2 –talk is just there to make us not to think something more complex and challenging for the governments around the world? You never know. You might think that if the world needs electric cars, we would already have those, but for some reason we are still burning gasoline.

Cheers for greener world! Cheers for environmental value! Cheers for future!