52Wrench,

Welcome to the ExPo. I can’t believe that after 2 years on this thread we’re still talking about the “eco” worthiness of the EcoRoamer, but it occurred to me that there may be other new readers as well who don’t have the time or urge to read 37 pages of chatter about this truck… so let me do a brief recap:

YES – It is a big Diesel spewing expedition vehicle, so by definition it will never be as environmentally friendly as this guy (who met with his bike & Trailer pedaling over Tahoe) – but then we have two little kids and two cats, and are planning on going around the planet.

So, the question became: How do you build an Vehicle-Dependent Expedition for a full-sized family in as environmentally friendly a manner as possible. Here’s what we did:

1. Started with a used Ford chassis, so that we’re not bringing another truck into this world.
2. We run on Bio-Diesel wherever available, and off-set all our CO2 emissions (both manufacturing and traveling) with carbon credits. (Please don’t get me started on these again!)
3. There is not a foot of virgin plywood in the truck. The counters are recycled paper (Richlite), the floors are recycled wood fibers (Medex), The cabinets are bamboo (Plyboo)
4. There is 1.5kW of Solar panels on the roof, ensuring we don’t have to run the engine/generator unless we’re in England. (sorry, cheap shot there!)
5. The camper shell itself is made from a composite called Alucabond which is 80% recycled aluminum sandwhiching recycled plastic

…as my grandmother taught me, Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Yes, this is a big truck, but compared to what it could be, the environmental footprint has been remarkably small.

I hope that helps clarify a little, and may reduce your LYAO.