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“Our buying decisions have the potential to make a difference today- not years in the future. If demand for these vehicles materializes is significant enough numbers, automakers will be encouraged by market forces to dive headlong into making more of them, expanding availability across the board. Let’s not the waste the opportunity.” Ron Cogan is editor and publisher of the award-winning Green Car Journal auto enthusiast magazine and GreenCar.com. He is also president of the nonprofit Green Car Institute and chief executive officer of the Green Car Group, an organization that specializes in the interaction of automobiles and the environment. His involvement in the auto industry spans 30 years. Cogan’s extensive knowledge of this industry, combined with his environmental acumen, has been of value to the Green Car mission for more than 15 years. That mission includes educating consumers, the media, and the industry on the benefits of environmentally conscious vehicles and technologies. His perspective on the environmental side of the auto industry has been read for years in such publications as Motor Trend, Popular Science, and other consumer magazines. He directed the launch of seven special-interest magazines at the former Peterson Publishing Company (now Primedia) and served on the staff of Motor Trend, where he was staff specialist on advanced technology and alternative fuel vehicles. Cogan believes that “In transportation terms, going green is no longer exclusively about environment. At its most basic level, new directions that achieve higher fuel efficiency will naturally lead to less dependence on foreign oil, enhancing both energy and national security. Higher fuel efficiency also serves to address growing concerns about global warming, since the less fuel burned per mile of travel, the fewer CO2 greenhouse gases are created. These critical issues of the day often seem separate and distinct, yet they are inextricably aligned.” Recognized as an authority in the auto industry, Cogan is often sought out for his views on “green” car issues and to lend his analysis of breaking news in this field. He has been quoted as an expert source by international publications, wire services, radio, and television, appearing in such noted media outlets as the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicles, and USA Today, as well as appearances on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Good Morning America. Cogan was instrumental in producing the Automobiles and the Environment conferences at the Los Angeles Auto Show and Environmental Technology Expositions at the Society of Environmental Journalists national conventions, along with ride-and-drives of advanced technology vehicles for the Sierra Club and others. A self-professed “car guy”, Cogan’s perspective is that a love of automobiles and caring for the environment are not mutually exclusive. He is a proponent of alternative energy and low emission technologies and focuses his automotive work on “green’ programs that work toward lessening the automobile’s impact on the environment. |