The Perfect Car for Earth Day 2008
The 2008 Nissan Sentra
By: Melanie Droz
With a Green Rating of 70, the 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S was the perfect vehicle to drive on Earth Day, April 22nd.
Yahoo! Autos and Environmental Defense created the Green rating, which is used to measure a vehicle’s environmental friendliness on a scale of 1-100. The higher a car’s Green Rating, the “greener” it is.
Even though the Sentra I drove was Blue Onyx, it screamed green. With a score of 70, the Sentra has a lower harm to human health and the health of the planet. The Sentra even ranked 29 out of the top 100 Cars by Green Rating due to its great gas mileage. The Sentra gets 25 mpg/city and 33 mpg/hwy.
It made perfect sense to carpool to work on Earth Day. Not only because my school was encouraging everyone to participate in environmentalist activities, but because I had the 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S to show off. So, I volunteered to pick up 4 coworkers on my way to work. The Sentra has 5-passenger seating capacity, which all of my commuters thought felt roomy and comfortable.
Not only was I able to fit four teachers in the Sentra, I also had plenty of cargo space in the back for my egg cartons, straws, Styrofoam cups, paper plates, and string. All of which were recyclable items that I planned on using for my lesson that day. We had to be creative, since our school decided to turn off the computers, lights, smart boards, and copy machines.
Some of our students saw us pull into the closest, carpool parking space in the 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S. We got a couple pats on the back and congratulations for helping to eliminate pollution by carpooling. I even told the kids that the Sentra receives an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) rating, which means it emits 50% less polluting emissions than average new cars released in that model year.
I spent the day reading a children’s book titled What About Ladybugs? to my 11th grade students to show them that ladybugs are a natural alternative to chemical pesticides for eco-friendly farming practices. Although it was a bit low for their reading level, they really enjoyed the story and the activities that followed.
Some kids made paper plate ladybug puppets while others made egg carton ladybugs or Styrofoam and drinking straw puppets. It was great to see these items being put to use and actually played with by young adults.
On the way home, all 4 of my coworkers donated a few dollars to help fill up the Sentra with gas. However, I ended up giving them each a dollar back because the small tank equals cheaper prices at the pump. The 14.5 gallon fuel tank can definitely help a teacher save a few bucks.
And, a teacher can definitely afford the 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S with an MSRP of $14,986. The one I test drove was priced at $18,560 because it came with a convenience plus package that includes Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone System, Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel, Integrated Overhead CD Holder, Divide-N-Hide Trunk System, Cargo Net and Hooks, and Intelligent Key Keyless Entry.
Overall, the 2008 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S turned green for Earth Day, which makes the Sentra an environmentally-friendly vehicle for everyday of the year.
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