Going Green

I decided to do "green" posts on 2 of my blogs (see: theunarchitect.blogspot.com). *cough. shameless plug. cough*
Moving on…
"Green" as a concept or a word is seen as something environmentally friendly, has a smaller carbon footprint that more readily available alternatives, and is in fact THE alternative to the norm.
Now this definition is rather vast, and it's never really explained to the regular Joe. When we think of green cars, the only thing we understand is hybrids or electric cars, not really thinking about other impacts these vehicles make outside of emissions.
Because of this, I would rather work with the word "sustainable".
A 1987 UN conference defined sustainable developments as those that meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (excerpt taken from www.arch.wsu.edu).
So what would make a car fit this definition? Off the top of my head, it would have to have the following characteristics:
1. A good percentage of the materials used to make it are either in abundant supply, or better yet, are renewable. This ensures a steady supply of such materials until future generations.
2. The making of the entire vehicle (from individual parts to putting it together) causes minimal environmental impact. So it's not just about emissions of the car, but also the emissions and pollutants the factories that make the cars create.
3. The operating of the vehicle causes minimal environmental impact. From emissions to maintenance.
4. The vehicle is accessible (good price point, distribution channels, etc.). Because, really, how sustainable is a car that isnt accessible?
Now classifying cars into sustainability and giving sustainability ratings is another matter altogether, and requires information that I just don't have on hand. But the idea behind this post is that people shouldn't simply get caught up on hybrids, electric cars and the like. We need to look beyond that and into the manufacturing of the car. We do it for construction, prescribing green products and green building techniques, so why not make the public more aware on what is happening in the automotive market and how we can make real sustainable and green automobiles or other forms of transportation?