RV – Get the facts on the lean green earth friendly machine

( From Marlan the RV guy. This opinion piece was written by my amazing daughter Kinsey )

Four or five years ago, I loved watching several golden fields, surrounded by green trees, on the way to church. I remember even seeing a cowboy lope his horse through one field. They are no longer there. When we drive by today, the ground that was covered with grass had transformed into bare dirt, as the grass seed landscapers planted did not have enough water to grow during the drought. Out of the trees that had stood there proudly as long as I could remember, only one or two remained. The plants and animals that had called the field home disappeared, replaced by big poorly designed houses with an excess of space. However, RVs and high rise condos take less space and help to conserve resources, and I think people should try living in an RV or condo. They also don’t require the tearing and ripping of the earth.

I have lived in big houses, small houses, apartments, condos, and RVs. We didn’t use most of the space in the big house. The small house, I can barely remember. But this I know, I love the RV most. Closest to family and still plenty of space. RVs are also affordable, and much greener than a big house. They make you think, do I really need something? The answer is generally no.

RVs also conserve space and water, which will be vital if the earth’s population explodes, like the pessimists think will happen. But what if it does? If the temperature rises, and drought and fires become more common? It takes only 15 minutes to hook up a fifth wheel, and if you have a motorhome, or a coach, you just hop in the drivers seat and step on the gas. Therefore, memorabilia remains memorabilia, and not ashes. Space will become a commodity if we wish to keep the wild alive and have room for farming, and not become a planet like Coruscant, on Star Wars. Everything was imported from other planets. But we have no other planets from which to import food and water. RVs use only about 27 gallons of water, on average, every day. Space restrictions also mean RVers only shop for what they need.

An RV can also be paid off in 6 ½ years, and a house in 30. A 2010 study by Harvard Extension School has shown that the price of fuel or diesel would have to triple to make the RVing way of travel as expensive as others. And some people don’t even move their RVs. They just stay in a single spot. They have a huge financial advantage over the rest of us. An RV has everything we need, and costs less.

The Conservation Fund reports that an acre of trees breathes in 3.61 tons over 1 year. An acre of houses only adds to our carbon footprint, because we release CO2 during the creation of electricity used to power, heat, and cool the homes. An RV doesn’t take as much energy to regulate simply because it is smaller. What’s more, some of the gases released by the creation of electricity make us sick, and some of the gases can kill. Coaches and Motorhomes can use biodiesel fuel, and if they use propane for heating and cooking, the emissions go down even further, as propane burns cleaner than stove tops and electric ovens. If our homes downsize, and we accept the fact that our cars don’t need to be that big, a lot of pollution wouldn’t be released.

People can live happily in smaller spaces, or building up, which helps with space, because not much grows in the sky. In some parts of the world, living in a high rise attaches itself to status. There is less noise pollution, and great views. Many condos and high rises have quiet periods, so people won’t get annoyed, and most people are conscious of the fact that there are people living downstairs, below them. Many nice condo high rises have amenities ranging from a “typical pool and workout room to 24-hour valet, wine cellars and roof-top club rooms” as stated by HighRises.com. You would also be close to your work, if your business is downtown, so it’s convenient, and close to any cool restaurants and bars. High rise living can be amazing. Usually, you do have to pay HOA dues, but they go toward staff and other things keeping the condos well run. There are pros and cons, but isn’t there a dark side to everything?

However, you don’t have to move, or make a big change to your living style. People don’t like change, and the stereotype for motorhomes and RVs keeps some people away. We are starting to use greener and greener energy sources. I concede, that yes, many items we have are because of the memories attached, and we need big cars for a big family. But sometimes, we only use a SUV that seats seven, for only one person. And memories are always with us. The US Energy Information Administration admits the green energy only accounts for 8% of US energy.

The smaller changes sometimes have the biggest effects. Driving 2 friends to school, means there’s 2 less cars on the road. That may seem small, but if everyone did this, ⅔ of cars would not be on the road… Think how much less traffic and pollution that would be. And, as an added bonus, you get to hang out with your friends.

This is our only world. It’s up to us to take care of it.