So, there’s this thing called Earthrace, a New Zealand based not-for-profit run by a guy named Peter Bethune. It’s a boat team and boat (pictured above if you haven’t guessed) that are attempting to break the world speed record for circling the globe. The catch is that this vessel runs exclusively on biofuels and was built using hemp, ice cream containers, and other reused or recycled materials and will result in a net-zero carbon footprint. But wait, there’s more! Most of the biofuel comes from plant matter but a tiny fraction of it, about 100 milliliters, came from Peter Bethune’s own love handles! That’s right he got a plastic surgeon to suck out some fat around his midsection to fuel this thing. Now that’s dedication to a cause, or pure insanity, or both.
oh, it tickles!
But how green can a speedboat really be? Earthrace is purchasing carbon points to offset any CO2 given off by the boat. But how effective are carbon points? Can we really just throw money at our waste? I do not know the answers to these questions, but something seems fishy to me. Buying carbon points seems a bit odd, like a baby seal clubber purchasing mean points. How does this offset the harm done? The whole CO2 thing isn’t my biggest gripe with these guys. It’s the fact that they’re raising awareness for biofuels. Which will in no way or in any capacity replace fossil fuels. Numerous studies from various universities have shown the environmental dangers of biofuels. End result is more starving people and more oil put into the production of biofuels, than the oil we get out.
Here’s the breakdown: I’ll give these guys points for raising awareness, but I think they lose major points for it being in biofuels and for putting millions of dollars into a freaking boat instead of giving it to an organization that directly effects to good of people. How many families could have been fed with the money it took to make this boat or maybe we could have just put a couple of dudes in an apartment this winter.
But, I suppose if you’re going to spend money on the fastest boat in the world it might as well be as green as it can be. And after all, it is still one cool looking boat.
vrrrroooom!
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July 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 am
Great story! Seems to me that the effort and “energy” put into making this boat could have been better used. But, as you say, if it raises a little awareness, I guess that is a good thing.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
[...] for buyers and sellers worldwide. My bro Andrew over at the Greenest Site Ever makes a pretty good point, we can’t just throw money at the carbon problem. Carbon offsets are an interesting way to [...]
August 11th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
As far as I’ve seen, Carbon Offsets are a crock…. Its like the church handing out indulgences for money… total crap. Besides, they don’t ever have to even make the energy, or reduce the carbon, they just have to put it towards the project. There’s no real regulatory body on it, so nothing holds water.
Biofuels are also crap, unless whoever’s making them is a good steward to both the environment and fellow man. Use of non-recyclable waste bio-fuels makes sense, ie, if you could run it on municipal sludge or something, but using corn oil is killing us right now. Also, palm oil is causing the depletion of rainforests again…