Lighting up in a Prius

I saw on my way home two people smoking cigarettes while sitting in a Toyota Prius and it struck me as dichotomous. Who drives a Prius, demonstrating a concern for a healthy environment in limiting CO2 emissions, yet smokes cigarettes, showing little concern for their own health? Evidently at least two ladies sitting in a car in Crystal City do...or do they?

Putting a bit more thought into it...maybe they did not own the Prius for environmental reasons. Maybe they just wanted to pay less at the pump or liked that Prius style with funky dashboard. Because if they were really environmentally conscious would they even own a car? Wouldn't they be biking instead?

After all, buying a Prius for environmental reasons is a bit like a smoker smoking Marlboro Lights rather than regular Marlboro. Consistent smoking, whether regular or light, is going to shorten your life, the difference being a few years.

CO2 emissions arguably decreases the habitability of our planet so driving a Prius rather than a SUV is essentially smoking light rather than regular...saying I am concerned about keeping the earth healthy enough for my grandchildren but their children are just out of luck.

This is not to say driving a Prius does not have comparative environmental benefits. It is better than driving just about any other car. But to get really serious about environmental consciousness driving a Prius is just scratching the surface. I bet the Prius ladies were smoking Marlboro lights.