Economics in Light of the Gospel

Above All Earthly Powers

Category Archives: Environment

Great News for the Environment

Posted on by Posted in Capitalism, Environment

Cascades Tissue Group has announced great news for the environment. This innovative firm now uses 100% recycled fibers to produce white paper without using pure elemental chlorine (which traditionally has been objectionable to environmentalists).  This means that consumers can now use writing paper paper, napkins, toilet tissue, and diapers without sacrificing trees or releasing chemicals into the environment.

This good news for the creation appears to be bad news for some environmentalists who are given to “conspicuous conservation.”  In other words, if writing paper is pure white or toilet paper is too soft, then it is not self-evident to everyone that it has been recycled.

Fortunately, progressive capitalists have found a solution to this problem. This involves adding brown pigments to non-chlorine bleached diapers to drive home the environmental message.  These products need “visual differentiation,” says Louis Chapdelaine, the product director of a company specializing in eco-friendly household cleaning products and paper.

Likewise, Cascades makes its new Moka brand toilet paper out of 20% recycled corrugated boxes to to create the perfect brown color — not too “dark brown” or “gray and dirty.”  When the company pitched this product to distributors at a recent trade show, it was evident that it would be perfect for customers who “want softness, but also want green credentials.”  This product is aimed at the people who “like to be green, but they don’t want to compromise. They don’t want to pay more. They want the same quality.”

It is important to be concerned for the environment, because “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” (1 Corinthians 10:26) and we have been made stewards to care for God’s creation. Even more, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).  Through the grandeur of creation we learn more about the glorious creator of all things and it is important to preserve this display of the greatness of God.

For this reason, gentle reader, I would argue that we should focus more on pleasing God than being admired for the color of our recycled tissues.

The Reality of the Volt

Posted on by Posted in Environment, Impact of Ideas, Individual Bias

The Chevrolet Volt electric car from GM invariably is mentioned in my economics classes whenever the discussion turns to alternative energies.  It is often held up as the “car of the future” and a paragon of the green economy transforming the United States.  While I would be delighted to see the Volt reach these aspirations, I question whether those who have pinned high hopes on this vehicle have actually considered the data.

Readers of Above All Earthly Powers are encouraged to research the data rather than be swayed by headlines and soundbites.

GM expects sales to fall short of 45,000 Volts this year.  This likely will prove true, given that only 7,600 were sold last year. In other words, of the 12.8 million vehicls sold in the United States last year, 99.95% of them were not Chevy Volts.  It is also safe to assume that essentially 100% of the 18.5 million automobiles sold in China last year were not Chevy Volts.

What could account for this failure to revolutionize the auto industry by this innovative green product? One contributor could be the $41,000 price tag on a vehicle smaller than the Ford Fusion (2011 record sales: 240,000 vehicles).  Of course this steep price is partially offset by a $7,500 government rebate which is coerced from non-green taxpayers who otherwise might not donate to save the planet.  This sales incentive seems reasonable in light of the fact that the federal government still owns 26% of General Motors outstanding common stock.

Another contributor to low sales might be concerns about having batteries of the Volt spark or burst into flame several weeks after being involved in a collision.  Though this happened to three vehicles that were tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM “took unprecedented steps to reassure Volt owners and the public that it was taking the matter seriously.”  Based on engineering fixes, the  NHTSA closed its investigation saying it “found no reason to believe the car poses an unusual risk of fire.”

Gentle reader, we should care about the environment. For this reason, future posts will address how to care for the creation with ideas that keep individuals safe from fires, are cost-effective in light of poverty, and produce actual change rather than “green washed” corporate public relations.