So Apple CEO Steve Jobs is out telling everyone that it is striving to become a green company with the announcement of its use of LED backlights instead of the common toxin found in todays LCD displays. Kudos, Apple, but of course, critics just don’t see things as good enough (even if a start) and they’re all out making their own noise. What I find odd is how mute they are when it comes to things like “green” cars such as the Prius. Ironic how there’s all this compliant about the iPods and its small batteries and how they are filling up landfills world wide and yet they drive from protest to protest in their hybrids they never think once what they’ll do in five years or so when those large battery packs (take a look at the bottom of this article) have to be replaced. These packs have nearly 100 battery cells the size of an iPod each inside them. What’s the game plan, folks?

I’m tired of the green crowd sharply pointing fingers at companies and not acknowledging its own ignorance. Walk on the lot of any Toyota dealership and ask what type of recycling plan it has for the batteries in the Prius and other hybrids available and you’ll get a blank stare. “Recycle?” The average American keeps its car for 4 to 5 years. Most won’t even keep their hybrid before the batteries need to go to a third-world nation for dumping. Add that to the fact that more batteries will need to be produced for replacements and newer vehicles and what will be the toll on the environment due to mining for the needed material for these batteries? Shesh, does anyone think this stuff out all the way? Based on California’s MTBE mess, I can say, “No!”

The irony of all this is that hybrids aren’t even the best answer for fuel conservation! The answer has been on the road for nearly a century. It’s called the diesel. Don’t believe me? Take a look at AutoWeek’s article Are We There Yet? in which the Volkswagen Jetta TDI bettered the Prius by nearly 8 miles per gallon! No batteries to add to landfills, no extra $7,000 price tag for an electric motor and a battery pack and best of all, it’s a nicer car and is larger than the Prius. Now I’m not saying a Hummer is better than a Prius (though this article shatters some myths about hybrids brilliantly,) but I am saying that these hybrids need to looked at with the same scrutiny as being applied to Apple’s iPod and other companies getting share of pain from environmentalist. If you’re going after batteries, go after them ALL! Require a recycle plan from ALL the companies. Trust me, we’re going to have a much larger mess when a few thousand Prius’ go to the landfill than a few million iPods!

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