Carry -IN Carry -Out

[Khanhvngo]

This 4th of July we did what we always have done, Wake up Early and pack the car, get to the Sebago State Park. Wait inline for hours, Get into the park, relax have fun and then go home.

The only different this year is that we drive The X. During the wait for hours in line it dawn on me that this was happening.

**Parks open at 9am: About 150+ cars will arrive and are in line prior to gate opening. During that time some engines are running and some are off: CO2 is just spilling out while idling.

** Park now open @ 9 AM but you have 150+ cars and new one arriving that get added to the long line. Now all the cars in line are running and idling. It took us about 1 hour from opening to entering the park. so every car that just arrive idle for at least 1 hour before entering the park and then park.

***This goes on for about 5-7 hours from 7 am till about 2pm before all cars are clear from waiting inline.

All of this got me to thinking, State park are clean and the air is great, But everyday we drive our ICE car in and pollute the air at the state park and then when we leave all of that pollution builds up over time. We think we are entering a place of clean air and freshness. But really we pollute the air to the park while we wait, and then leave the park in a state of disaster full of air pollution.

For the first time, I felt that we were the only family that was using the Park correctly. We enter the Park clean and when we left the Park, we left nothing behind.

 

[boelkers]

I feel the same way. My wife and I have made it our goal to visit every US National Park and 2 weeks back we started that journey. We hadn't gotten our MX yet and it was a little disheartening to drive in, around, through these parks with an ICE vehicle. I did however see quite a few MS and MX vehicles when we were in Yosemite and it made me feel hope for these places.

 

[ABC2D]

I hate this kind of posts. People live their live driving but once they buy a tesla they become so environment friendly on a dime and everything is about CO2 all of a sudden. C'mon!

For the first time, I felt that we were the only family that was using the Park correctly

Really? What is "the correct way" to use a state park? GTFO

We enter the Park clean and when we left the Park, we left nothing behind

Did you take with you the CO2 your bodies produced? How about the CO2 produced by making your car? How about CO2 from charging it? Did you bring any water bottles? Do you know how much CO2 created producing those? Your shoes? Did you scrap the state pake from the rubber your car left there?

But everyday we drive our ICE car in and pollute the air at the state park and then when we leave all of that pollution builds up over time. We think we are entering a place of clean air and freshness. But really we pollute the air to the park while we wait, and then leave the park in a state of disaster full of air pollution.

How is this different from any other place? The neighborhood your live in? The stores you go to? And, if i'm not mistaken, CO2 is not solid waste, you know, the wind takes it place.

I know I'm going to take quite a beating for this post, but, c'mon, people, be realistic. Once you get a Tesla, you dont suddenly become the saviour of the world - you just damaging slightly LESS than before.

 

[Xenius]

It's not like the poor guy/gal said they bought the Tesla so they could walk around spouting granola eating hippie nonsense. I love when luxury car buyers buy a Tesla because it's the "new thing" but then also get converted to being more environmentally friendly.

Nothing wrong with that, I wouldn't mind walking along busy roads anymore if all the vehicles were Tesla's/electric.

 

[MXFan]

@MasterT - Did you wake up on the wrong side of bed this morning? OP said something nice and it caused him to think about pollution. And you just rain all over his parade? While you may have some valid points, it really wasn't necessary to air them here.

 

[Khanhvngo]

Thank you for all the reply, I'm very sorry if it came across offensive to anyone who is here on the forum. I was simply saying that, until now I never even consider or thought about how much pollution was happening while hours and hours of cars idling and just emitting co2 into a place that we all consider to be a heavenly place. We all go to a state park to enjoy the beauty and wonder of it all.

I think one of the side affect of owning any EV is that it forces to see the good and the bad and it feel like a curtain is slowly but surely being lifted. I agreed with the post about how everywhere is no different, and that is something that is a problem, we are all so used to seeing the bad that we don't think it's wrong and that it need change.

Back to the point thought, Tesla or not, it made me more aware of my surrounding and makes me want to do more and take responsibility for my action and the affect of my action on the environment.

The irony to me is that the very place we seek to get away from, somehow our action and direction catches up with us and bring us back to right where we have been. Had I not been in a EV I don't think I would have ever stop or realized what was happening up to this point.


Last but not least. I have been very conscious of my action way before owning a Tesla. We live in a net zero house with solar and geothermal. I've been doing everything in my power to reduce my foot print on this planet.

Again I am sorry if my post offended some people, but EV cars is changing the way I see the world, forcing me to see beyond my home and the edges of my yard: it is what it is.

 

[nikeykid]

i am with OP, i was at yosemite two weeks ago and found a bunch of ICE idling in traffic with the waterfalls as the backdrop to be off-putting, but i hope every year i go back that I see fewer and fewer ICE and more EVs. I'm not going to save the world, but i'm trying to do my part and inspire or educate a few other people to do the same.