Save the Earth, it’s
a handy ashtrayI pulled up to the stoplight and gazed appreciatively at the Toyota Prius stopped alongside. A hybrid car! What kind of mileage is it getting? Looks sporty, too. Good for the environment. The car even had big letters on its flanks announcing it was environment- and energy-friendly. In a world where, as George Carlin says, you tend to think of other drivers as either idiots or maniacs, the sight of the Prius gave me the warm fuzzies.
That feeling lasted almost 20 seconds. Then the driver tossed her cigarette butt out the window. It bounced, throwing sparks, and rolled into the gutter.
I realize that smokers feel as if they have few places left to pursue their habit, and that people feel cocooned inside their automobiles, like it's armor against the world's pressures. And I'm not asking people not to smoke. But few things are less environmentally friendly for their size than cigarette butts. Aside from the obvious fire danger, they last longer than the pyramids. Not to mention that if you drive a convertible or a motorcycle (and I do both), flaming projectiles hitting you at 60 mph can be downright dangerous.
Please, folks, have some consideration. If you don't want those nasty things in your ashtrays, why do you think the rest of us want them along our roadsides?
Nancy Christenson
nchristenson@starbulletin.com
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
