How "Green" is a FiberglassRV??? Really!!!

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... In this day of "Environmentally sensitive" living, just how green do you think the building, owning, and using of your fiberglass trailer is?
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Eddie Longest]

When I pulled the ensolite back on my +30 year old Scamp, I see they used a green resin in their glass. That’s green enough for me. How many 30 year old stickys are still around and not filling up landfills? The fiberglass and curved aluminum trailers are probably the most recycled vehicles on the road. Maybe we need to put recycle decals on the rear windows of our recycled (used) trailers to be politically correct.
Eddie

[Joe Z]

First thing that comes to mind is that they very rarely make it to a landfill as they last much longer and many re-furbishes ...... so the landfills have less of a burden. How many stickies built in the 70's and 80's are still here today campared to fiberglass?.....Less gas consumption on the much lighter glass trailers being towed compared to the behomeths.
Joe

Eddie: We must have been typing at the same time and it's interesting that we both have just about the same answer. LOL

[brian m.]

This green ...

[Bobbie Mayer]

I agree; I think the greenest aspect is staying out of landfills.

Second (or maybe more important) is better gas mileage while towing, but that may only apply to the smaller trailers.

[Weinel, Alan]

Dear LORD! if THAT rig ever gets hit, i GUARANTEE it ain't no accident. You just cannot say (with a straight face) "Office, I just didn't SEE it!"


[quote]This green ...


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[Jeff Peterson]

Hi: All... In this day of "Environmentally sensitive" living, just how green do you think the building, owning, and using of your fiberglass trailer is?
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Fair question, Alf, and one that we should ask ourselves about lots of things. It's not just the disposal issue that needs to be considered, but also the energy and other resources required to build our trailers. Obviously our footprints would be lighter if we all stayed home, but that's not how I want to spend my retirement. And pulling my Scamp 13 (with my 4-cyl. car) a couple hundred miles instead of hopping on an airplane seems like a good choice to me.

Jeff

[Bruce Thomas]

also...once theyre there they aren't draining much from a power grid ..opposed to if you stayed home and had everything going there like we all do.and some dont touch the grid...charge on the fly so it comes into the fuel bill again.lowering that actual use....they heat easily,another lower usage..same for cooling them...the actual list is probably quite long. I'd believe theyre alot greener than most think.........Bruce

[james kent]

Green was the colour when we got it.

The energy it uses is from a battery re charged by the sun. How many of those huge bulge mobiles can do that on a regular day-to-day routine?

[pjanits]

Just think septic tank on wheels.
How green is a septic tank?

I guess when it was made the fumes could gag a maggot, but since then - I dunno - I guess it's inert now. Mine sure won't see a landfill for many years I'm sure.

[Raya]

There is certainly nothing "green" about the ingredients and manufacturing process of fiberglass. Talk about toxic! And it's not very biodegradable, either. An egg in a landfill would be there for a loooong time.

I'd say it's like cars in that respect - more "green" to keep an older, already produced one going vs. manufacturing a new one (even moreso for trailers, since there is not the aspect of older ones being "gas guzzlers," like there is with cars). We can't improve the "green-ness" of how they were made, but we can at least keep the older ones going, so we don't have to make as many newer ones.

Really though, there's no way to really make something you tow along while getting 16mpg or so, "green"; there are only degrees of "not so green" and "really really not so green." I strive for the former as much as possible.

Raya

[Ricky 4]

I know when we are done with our Compact Jr. (no time soon,though) someone else will love it as much as we do. It will be recycled for many years.
No matter where we go-it is a conversation piece-people want to know about it and see inside. We gladly give the grand tour.
They are surprised to see we have a refrig, stove, heater, a/c and a big bed and they also ask about the bathroom-we open the bottom cabinet door and pull out the porta potty. What else could you want-we love it.
The simple life!

[Brian Van Snell]

Hi: All... In this day of "Environmentally sensitive" living, just how green do you think the building, owning, and using of your fiberglass trailer is?
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

I suggest that everyone might want to view the powerful video called "Ocean Acidification" -- we all know about global warming, but ocean acidification is less well known. Both are due to human activity -- burning of fossil fuels.

http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidifica...outthefilm.asp

While a fiberglass trailer is better than other more energy consuming alternatives, we all need to be trying to reduce our carbon footprint as much as we can.

Brian