Palm | Kelapa Sawit

The Story



As we all know there is a serious effort by many drivers on the road today to increase the average MPG of their existing vehicle. Many drivers are attempting to do this out of "eco-guilt", the guilt that they feel as a result of driving their car, while others do it as a means to save money. Either way the desire is there and for the sake of economics we'll call this desire "demand", which can be defined, "as the willingness and ability of a consumer to purchase a given product in a given frame of time.."



Now lets look at this same situation from another point of view. Capitalism can be defined as, "an economic and social system in which most trade and industry are privately controlled for profit rather than by the state." Since we live in a capitalistic society we can assume that there is someone out there somewhere who will attempt to take advantage of this opportunity to make money. As we have done above, we will call this “supply” for economics' sake.

Finally, elasticity, "refers to how supply and demand respond to various factors, including price as well as other stochastic principles". Applying this definition to our scenario, we can interpret the word stochastic to represent the unpredictable behavior of the consumer.

Economic Consequences

So, as the demand increases market rules suggest that the supply will also adjust to meet that demand. However, the suppliers are at an advantage because the false sense of urgency created by the media has simulated a highly inelastic environment. The media have compounded the publics need to feel as though they are doing their part to save the environment. Additionally, the economic strife that we have run headlong into over the last 18 months has caused people to go to ridiculous lengths to save money. This is often times taken to the extreme level of spending exceeding saving for the purpose of saving.

The arising problem lies amongst the individuals and companies that are entering into this newly developing market, of modifying existing vehicles to improve the gas mileage, for the sake of earning a profit at any expense. As you scour the web for ideas and gadgets that may help you in your adventure to reduce the MPG of your vehicle you may notice many “Miracle” gadgets or ideas that promise outlandish results. However, many of these gadgets and ideas are not as miraculous as they claim. In fact, many of them have no benefit what so ever.

Buyer Beware

If you go to the links that I will post below you will learn of just a few sources that have given a dose of reality to the preposterous claims of some of these ideas. Unfortunately, despite the public information that these products don't work, many of them are still on the market and the companies still continue to sell their products despite understanding that they are for the most part worthless.

Therefore, I propose that before any of us go out on a limb to purchase some kind of gadget or try some kind of crazy sounding idea to reduce our average MPG, that we should do some substantial research and understand what we are getting into.

Links:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1802932.html

and

http://www.fuelsaving.info/debunk.htm

Most people can agree that cotton is the most comfortable, breathable and soft of all the commonly worn textile fabrics. From your most fashionable jeans to your favorite old T-shirt, everyone loves cotton. Not only does cotton keep the body cool in the summer and warm in the winter, it is one of the easiest fabrics to dye, which makes it extremely popular among fashion designers. In the many mainstream magazines and store catalogs, you are likely to come across an ad or two asserting that because it's a natural fiber (i.e. it grows from the ground), cotton is green, or environmentally friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth! Regrettably, when cotton is traditionally grown, our most favored fabric is associated with devastating abuse of the planet and the people who inhabit it. Did you know:

• The production of cotton accounts for 25% of the world's pesticides
• In India, 91% of cotton workers complain of illness caused by chemicals
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies eight of the pesticides used in cotton as possible carcinogens

The push for organic cotton in increasing, because the fibers are cultivated without pesticides, chemical herbicides or synthetic fertilizers that can be harmful to the environment. However, the supply of 100 percent organic cotton is fairly limited: only .03 percent of worldwide cotton production is organic, according to the Organic Trade Association. Sales of organic cotton is expected to grow over the next year, but at this time time only 1% of cotton grown is organic.

So the next time you see an ad like the one below claiming that cotton is green, you may want to reconsider unless it says, organically grown.

Mike Taylor
Portland State University

Sources:

http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/organic_cotton.html

http://www.salon.com/mwt/good_life/2008/01/07/organic_jeans

Probably like many consumers, I feel that I should be able to trust the labels on the products that I purchase. However, as more and more research is done, it is becoming blatantly apparent that the companies of today have decided that they will sell their products to whoever, wherever, and at whatever cost to our planet and society. Long gone are the days where we as consumers knew what the terms we are faced with on product labels mean, or what the company behind those labels really stands for. While surfing the internet for some useful information on dishwashing liquid, I ran across an article written by Vanessa L. Facenda at Brandweek (http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003726559) regarding the dishwashing liquids that we have to choose from when it comes to taking care of the environment. These cleaning items state to be environmentally friendly and "green". However, upon a deeper look, it appears that the statements are nothing more than a blatant lie. In many cases, the manufacturers of these products are even facing threats of a lawsuit if they do not change the labels on their products and start disclosing the actual make-up of their cleaning products. As consumers, it is our duty and responsibility to make sure that we are aware of the products that we are buying and not believe everything that we are told regarding the items that we bring into our homes. The largest voice that we have is when we choose to buy, or not buy, a product. In choosing to give one company our hard earned money over another, we have the power to invoke change in the market place and show the large corporations what truly matters to us.

Visit our website:

http://sites.google.com/site/ecomerge2008/