Drive-Thru Sustainability
A few years ago while back home in the US, I hopped in the car with the family to quickly run some errands. Now, you need to understand that I have been in Europe for over 10 years and was not ready for what would happen next—a shopping experience without ever actually touching the ground.
- » See also: U.S. Army’s New Research Center Puts Fossil Fuels on Notice
- » Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.
First stop, the drive-thru bank for a bit of cash to continue our convenience tour. Second stop, the drive-thru cleaners—this was even a new experience for me. Third stop, a drive-thru pharmacy to fill a prescription. Last but not least (you guessed it), a fast food joint to cap off the tour.
We never left the car…
The weather was nasty and this (partially) justified sitting in long lines with the car running. Don’t get me wrong, I have often yearned for the chance to do the “never leave the car and get everything done” tour during harsh Swiss winters. It is sad but true, convenience and comfort often rule when push comes to shove.
Lets face it, convenience plays a huge role in much of our decision making. It’s simply difficult to make trade-offs for Green(er) ways like leaving the car in the garage, facing colder weather or accepting that it takes longer to do errands. It is the same for buying Greener products…will we pay more? Or will we accept slightly lower performance to buy Green? Most consumers outside the “Green niche” simply won’t make these trade-offs for Greener products today. Convenience and comfort are huge hurdles that companies need to work around if they want to design products for the sustainable mainstream—that huge mass of consumers in the middle who would happily do their green part if it is convenient for them.
A couple of years ago, a design group called Continuum conducted a year-long research project to try & help explain “the WHY” behind sustainable choices. They named the project Colorblind (have a look at the excellent 1 page graphic explaining their findings here). One finding that stuck out for me was an obvious but often overlooked point that people take on environmental actions for personal reasons and simply care about “their own world” more than “the world”.
Companies making it easier for the sustainable mainstream to choose Green will be winners longer term because that is where the biggest prize resides. But companies will not be the only ones who win, because if the sustainable mainstream buys into Green products “the world” will be better off as well.
Image Courtesy strangelv via Flickr under Creative Commons License.
I loved the article and agree that it is vital to make sustainability palatable for the masses by making it convenient and inexpensive. Whoever solves these issues in whatever green market will be the “big winner.” I’ve been closely following the Chevy Volt and hope that GM can get the price down quickly, so that it can be successful.
Keep up the good work!
JP
Really, really great post. I have often wondered at my own complicity in the silliness of the world (not to mention the lack of sustainability) when I utilize the various drive-thru options available to me. However, when you actually consider the matter, drive-thru has existed since the days of the horse and buggy, at least in the U.S. and Canada. Old photos show drive-thru water stops, drive-thru lines to pick up block ice and groceries, and, of course, drive-thru delivery of grain to the grain elevator and so on. Horses and mules weren’t burning hydrocarbons, but they were burning solar energy in the form of grain and grass. So, an early form of sustainability? Drive-thru may have a bad name, but in the brave new world of electric vehicles it may turn into a positive. Think of the possibilities! If you can bank, pick up your chemical free cleaning, pick up generic and hopefully way cheaper drugs and, of course, get seriously good food all without burning a molecule (except the NG used to generate the electricity, or maybe wind) then drive-thru may be okay. If you have to wait very long then maybe you can get a charge while you’re waiting. Of course, in the end, I prefer delivery-via an electric vehicle you understand.
Convenience and comfort are very important. Older people, the sick and young working families are just some of the groups that benefit tremendously by the drive-thru opportunity. Think of the young,working mother on the way home from work. She picks up her child at the day care and on the way home can get milk, medicine for the sick husband at home and the cleaning without having to use much extra fuel or remove the children from the car everytime she stops. This is an incredible convenience that cannot be underestimated. Autos and drive throughs are valuable in the society where I live so for me the answer is to find the auto that will answer the need of the consumer and the environment.
Drive-thrus are the epitomy of lazyness.