The 'fighting bull' goes green

The Greenwash Brigade

Fuel economy and low emissions aren’t what Lamborghini, or “Lambo,” owners are typically after. They want (and apparently get) titillating, gut-twisting speed and sinuous turns from the “fighting bull” that make them feel alive — despite a laughable 10 mpg.

Still, Lamborghini has announced it is implementing some new environmental initiatives. The company says it plans to develop hybrid drivetrains and reduce its cars’ carbon dioxide emissions 35 percent by 2015. It also plans to reduce the CO2 emissions of its lone factory in Sant’Agata, Italy, 30 percent by 2010.

Some detractors think an electric engine would deliver better results than hybrid technology. Maybe Lamborghini just doesn’t want to look too much like the $100,000 electric Tesla which has been touted for its speed and acceleration — zero to 60 mph in four seconds.

It’s difficult for me to poke fun at Lamborghini’s plans to install a 56,000-square-foot solar array and other building envelope efficiencies. That’s because the company only has the one factory, it sells only about 2,500 cars a year (compared to the U.S. market of 9 million), and its customers put only an average of 3,100 miles a year on their cars (which probably spend more time getting long, waxy massages or being cloaked in velvet in heavily forested estates). My reticence to criticize may also be based on my love for all things Italian.

Compare the environmental impact of a Lamborghini — despite its horrendous gas mileage — to a typical American-made car. For example, a Ford (take your pick: Excursion, Explorer, F350) will be driven 13,000 miles a year on average, and will be involved in more accidents (we are not particularly skilled in driving big, cumbersome trucks and get too bold as we feel exceptionally powerful in these behemoths).

I’m not letting Lamborghini’s CEO Stephen Winkelmann completely off the hook. Last year he said the company would never, and could never, meet the European Union’s fuel efficiency standards. The funny thing, however, is that the E.U. directive has an exception for manufacturers of “specialty vehicles” (less than 10,000 manufactured a year). European Parliamentarian Guido Sacconi, president of the E.U. Commission on Climate Change, stated the exception was designed “to safeguard the DNA, history and technology of niche car manufacturers on a European level.”

It’s like the sinfulness of eating a runny, mellifluous cheese in France. You just have to enjoy it regardless of its impact.

June 11, 2009 by Heidi Siegelbaum
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Our hand-picked environmental professionals, each part of the Public Insight Network, are on the hunt for "greenwash" as they examine eco-friendly claims by companies, governments and other groups. They ask tough questions about the mainstreaming of green, from the perspectives of people in the trenches who are focused on these issues 24/7.

Jim Nicolow is a nationally recognized expert on sustainable design and leads the sustainability initiative for Lord, Aeck & Sargent, overseeing the incorporation of sustainable design strategies and features into the firm’s design projects. He is a LEED® Accredited Professional with extensive knowledge of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED rating system.

Janne K. Flisrand has worked as an affordable housing and urban planning research consultant for five years, primarily supporting local non-profits. Her focus is on transit, transit-oriented design, affordable housing, and sustainability. Currently, she’s the program coordinator for Minnesota Green Communities, a program promoting affordable, healthy, sustainably built housing throughout Minnesota.

Dennis Markatos-Soriano recently completed a Master's in Public Affairs at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. He is now launching Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) to help individuals and institutions move from dependence on oil and gas to an efficient use of renewables. Previously, he co-founded SURGE (Students United for a Responsible Global Environment), which aims to bring young progressives together across issues of environmental and social justice throughout North Carolina and beyond. In the summer of 2006, he helped to start a small green company, Greenway Pedicabs, to provide a greenhouse gas-free transportation option for people in the Triangle of North Carolina.

Heidi Siegelbaum is a principal with Calyx Sustainable Tourism and works primarily on advancing sustainable tourism practices. She also specializes in science translation, cross-border indicators with Canada, cross-disciplinary planning and environmental technical assistance to businesses. Previously, she was in-house legal counsel for EPA for industrial chemicals and biotechnology and the senior performance measure analyst with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She is on the technical advisory committee of the Seattle Culinary Academy and a long standing member of the Chefs Collaborative.

NOTE: The opinions expressed by the Greenwash Brigade bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of American Public Media or its employees. American Public Media is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the Greenwash Brigade bloggers.

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