This crazy corn/ethanol thing in the US is STOOPID.
You're right. And this ethanol-tech bubble has burst. So many farmers thought that they could earn a ton of
money by growing [whatever type of corn popular for fuel ethanol] corn realized that they sacrificed real profits
with some traditional crops. It was a realization mentioned earlier. It is a net loss of energy.
Kind of like buying a brand spanking new hybrid car. It is more environmentally sound to buy a used gasoline car. The used
car already exists, you keep it from a junk yard, if it is from a legit dealer it has been recently tuned up to minimize
pollution (really to improve mileage and performance, the environment is 2ndary). and so on and so on.
Meanwhile a brand new hybrid takes energy, materials, produces pollution....The real way a "new-off-the-lot-hybrid" will
every be green is if the materials used to produce it are recycled, the energy consumed is solar, wind or hydro. AND
not a single form is "signed", no "copies" of documents, proof of insurance, temp tags and what not are used at all.
An E-car loan if you will, E-proof, E-registration....(no papers at all)
And to top it off. No plastic cups for that water cooler that is always at a dealership, no offers of bottled water, no styrofoam
cups for the coffee machine, no plastic peanut bags in the lobby....
Green can so easily be a marketing ploy versus a real philosophy.
I can be green at home. I don't need to buy anything to be green. If I make any purchase to be "GREEN" I have already failed.
Real green comes from reducing consumption not waste. e.i. producing what I need vs. buying it...segue to the what are you planting thread. Anyone plant "TEA" plants and make their own tea? (Answer in that thread, not this one..)
I believe that this mirrors the tubercles opinion.