For Immediate Release: May 9, 2007
Contact: Nicole Allen, WashPIRG, 203.216.7112,
CLEAN CAR SHOW EDUCATES STUDENTS ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE
SEATTLE - With each day this week breaking the record for gasoline prices, electric cars are sounding more appealing than ever. This was clear today as hundreds of University of Washington students swarmed around clean cars put on display in one of the busiest areas of campus. Students with WashPIRG organized this clean car show with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association to educate the campus about technology that can save money on gas, and save the world from climate change at the same time.
“We are out here to show that global warming is a solvable problem,” said Lauren Lamb, a freshman at UW and WashPIRG intern that organized the event. “Technology that can reduce our global warming emissions, like these cars, is already widely available. It seems like most people are too focused on the enormity of the problem to realize that the solution is right in front of them.”
The lineup of cars included an electric Toyota RAV4, two GM pickup trucks from the GM EV1 line made infamous by the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car,” and a Geo Metro converted to electric. The bright red Honda Insight hybrid was the outcast of the group, since it was the only vehicle there that used gas.
“In previous years the questions were about how far the cars can go or how fast they recharge,” said Steven Lough, the president of the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association. “Now, it is where to get one. That question gets at the heart of the problem, which is that major car companies are not making enough options like these available. I think the pressure is on, though.”
The WashPIRG organizers were pleased with the turnout for the event. “The cars are hard to miss,” said James Mellinger, a sophomore at UW. “Students will be rushing off to class, but when they see the cars they come over and look. I feel like we’re really making a difference by reaching so many people.”
Students have a unique perspective when it comes to the issue of climate change, according to Lamb. “We are the ones that will have to lead this world when the greatest impacts will occur. That’s why we are working so hard to make sure we prevent it.”
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WashPIRG is an independent state-based student organization that works to solve public interest problems related to the environment, consumer protection, and government reform. For more information, visit: www.washpirgstudents.org.
For more information on the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, visit: www.SeattleEVA.org.
