Second item: SUVs. Same problem as with Mountain bikes - people drive them in the city even though there are safer alternatives. That's right - Google the stats - SUVs are less safe for their drivers than large cars. So at the expense of larger profit margins for the manufactures and dealers, higher fill-up costs, and greater pollution of the air they breathe, people choose the less-safe vehicles for themselves. You see how this course could be useful? Besides, as one US religious group points out, what would Jesus drive?

Next on the syllabus, voice mail. Why do people pay a monthly fee for this when any thrift shop will sell you a perfectly good digital answering machine that costs less than what you'd pay for one month's service. Or get a new one at Circuit City and it'll pay for itself in a few months. You can retrieve your messages remotely just like you can with voice mail. What's more, you can even enter a code to listen in on what's going on at your house. Is rover barking? Did you leave the TV on? Are there burglars? Try doing that with Bell Call Answer.

Why do we insist on burning our fingers with "paper" cups at Tim Horton’s when there is a much better alternative - you might have heard of it - Styrofoam cups. Sure there was a time when Styrofoam cups were demonized due to the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in the in manufacturing process. But that was a long time ago. Today it's the laminated paper cup you get your coffee in that causes the greater environmental damage. Yes, you're really burning your fingers on a plastic cup wrapped in paper. A non-recyclable plastic/paper cup I might add - since the two are so firmly bonded. And do we demand they switch to the more environmentally friendly Styrofoam which is mostly puffed air with a very tiny amount of plastic (as compared to bottled water for example) No, we ask for double cup so we don't burn our fingers! Sigh. This course would stress that what was evil yesterday - like Germany during WW II - is not necessarily evil today. In fact, it may be less evil than some of the "good guys" at the time are today. So to the environmentalists I say, put aside your prejudices for the sake of the earth and my fingers.