We were ushered to the penthouse for lunch, way Up in the sky behind the famous sign. I noted that it’s still trendy to have beds scattered around public spaces. We had a nice lunch, and then went on to the initial presentation.
And. Ok. Here’s where I must divulge my big secret.
I am not a car person. Gasp. They really don’t impress me all that much. In fact those cars meant to impress – the Hummers, the monster trucks, the Ferraris – they actually do the opposite for me. They unimpress me. No, that’s not a strong enough word. They cause me to go into fits of not-so-hidden eye rolling and self-righteous smirking. And to say things like “Yeah, too bad your penis is so small.“ That’s what they do.
I mean, why bother owning a speedster if the limit is 100 km/hr (60 mph)? What a waste. Dropping your kid off at the day care with a Hummer? In a big stinky air polluted city? Come on!
When I was little we used to have to walk to school…the whole block…ourselves…in North Stars. Those were the days.
I’m a downtown person, and I ride my bike or take the subway places. If I go out to drink, I taxi home. Simple. I own a car, but usually drive it to the cottage only. Or to Ikea.
Don’t get me wrong. I do like design, a lot, and I will marvel and awe at impeccable craftsmanship. But I can’t even see cars now. They all look alike to me. Like bubbles. Or teardrops. Or something fine and polymer-like extruded from a fantasy tube.
The only cars I can see are VWs, the Mini, the Smart car, PT cruisers. And the bus.
Here’s my second big secret. I am a bleeding heart leftie. Most bitter idealists are. We feel we see the big picture. We feel we can fix it. We think we are the only ones that think this way
Toronto has become a big stinky city. So much so that we have a new Air Quality Health Index.
It tells us how bad the air is, and like Spinal Tap amps, can go up to 11. A reading of 11 and more warning means this:
“Children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems should avoid physical exertion outdoors.”
Come on. Kids shouldn’t play outdoors?
It’s not like a score of 10 Is that much better.
Children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems should reduce or reschedule physical exertion outdoors to periods when the index is lower, especially if they experience symptoms.
I, as a child, not only walked to school, I played outdoors. It was my fave thing to do. I think that not letting our children go outdoors so that the SUVs can drive to work is an idea that needs some rethinking.
So, I guess you can see that I am not a big fan of SUVs in the city.
Now that I got that out of the way, onto to the presentation.
Not being a car person, I don’t pay much to what’s going on in the car world. Other than the mass bubblification in design I had mentioned before.
So, when Usha Raghavachari, the Escape marketing manager told us the Escapes also come as a hybrid, and that the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrids are the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUVs in the world, I was happily surprised. She also explained that when it comes to emissions testing, The Escape uses California standards, which are the toughest in the US, so more than likely that which is coming out of the tail pipe of a Ford Escape is cleaner than the air in LA itself.
Hmmm.
Also the interior is made from post industrial waste. That means anything that would normally leave the factory to go to a dump, is instead rerouted, reused, and made good.
Nice.
The interior fabric is made by Interface Fabrics, Inc. Its founder and Chairman, Ray Anderson, was featured in the documentary film The Corporation, where he talked about his commitment to moving his company towards full environmental sustainability, how he believes it can be profitable, and how it should become law and anything else be considered criminal.
Awwww. He was my favourite in that movie.
This little SUV is trying. And that could melt any bitter soul’s heart.
Other than that is has 4 wheels, it gets you from point A to B, and is intended to appeal to youngish mobile hipsters.
That’s all I need to know. Let’s roll.
Tags: Ford Escape 2008, Interface Fabrics, The Corporation, Post-industrial waste, Ray Anderson, Escape From Boredom, environmental sustainability, cars
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