I really hate using hand dryers in public restrooms. They're loud, they take forever, and at the end my hands are still pretty wet. Whenever I'm forced into using them, I contemplate: How environmentally friendly is this really? Yeah, I'm saving a tree but conversely I'm probably burning coal to generate the power. Without knowing any of the facts, I'm guessing the coal it takes charge a hand dryer is probably less than the decades it takes to regrow a tree (although I don't know how many paper towels are recycled), so it probably works out. But let's go bigger: What about electric cars? I'm assuming those consume a lot of energy. You may not be burning gas in your tank, but the fumes are still being produced by the coal or oil power plant. Until that is taken care of and replaced with wind or solar, are electric cars just a farce?