On this blog, two guys from different generations -- X and Y -- try to figure out how to get green. They need your help. So read on and chime in.

BILLY: Yippie, yahoo and amen! The lease is running out on my minivan, and it's time to get a new car! I'm sure there are things I'll miss about navigating a gas-guzzler the size of Grandfather Mountain. I just can't figure out what they could possibly be. Instead, I'm all about what's next. I'm thinking something cool and eco-friendly.

GREG: The answers, at least for right now, are either hybrid, the most popular option that will draw kudos from all of the other parents, or just a very fuel efficient traditional engine. As most fawn over hybrids, few people realize there are a bunch of cars out there that get comparable mileage per gallon, but that don't rely on a battery that needs to be recycled or cost anywhere near as much. Although, I must say hybrids are cool and for you, a dad of two young children, a cool game could definitely be played of pushing the button to start the car each time.

For me, I want to downgrade even farther from fuel efficient two-door Honda to something that is even more fuel efficient, but also cool. I'm starting to realize I very rarely haul anything and most of the time it is just me in the car. Smart cars and Minis are beginning to look pretty attractive.

BILLY: Yeah, I need a SUV. Two kids and all their stuff. And, OK, all my CDs. I'm pretty psyched that the best deal out there might just be the Ford Escape Hybrid. Psyched because it's an American car. We take a lot of flack for our non-green habits, so good for Ford. My wife -- who's awfully sharp -- is thinking we might want to wait for the next generation of hybrids. Wait until the dust settles on what the best technology is. I'm thinking that this may be a pivotal moment for car-makers and the way they view consumers -- meaning, get those hybrids now and support the cause.

Why not a Prius for you? I really dig the Mini Coops, but isn't a Prius the de facto green care of choice (especially if you're not hauling a fam)? And tell me more about the Smart car. The CEO of Diamler-Chrysler has been talking up their success. When I was in high school, a smart car was the hand-me-down Mercedes driven by the valedictorian.

GREG: Honestly, the Prius is way more than I need. After driving a big SUV for years, I realized that I very rarely need a backseat and it keeps me from having to drive friends all over the place. No longer am I the go to car for long road trips!

The Smart Car is the newest vehicle in European snobbery. BMW and Mercedes have been replaced as the car of choice to prove one is international and classy. The paradigm has shifted to these tiny cars that are purely utilitarian in their eco-friendliness. Yes, they may resemble Urkel's tiny BWM from "Family Matters," but they also get more than 40 miles to the gallon, take up little space and are perfect for what I, as a single guy out there, need.

Read more, Small Cars Seek Appeal Beyond the Cute Factor.

The Mini Coopers may offer a little more space but with gas prices steadily rising, a few extra miles per gallon really makes a difference.

BILLY: I hate to say this, but small cars seem so vulnerable out on our big, bad highways. Like a lamb in a rhinoceros stampede. I have a buddy who's very green, very European in his sensibilities. His business is importing products from Scandanavia and he literally lives in the woods. But he traded in his compact for a SUV because he felt like the behemoths out there were literally going to drive right over him. And that wouldn't be good for his kids.

HELP US!: But enough of our opinions. What do you, the people reading this, recommend I get when my long minivan nightmare ends? How about for Greg and his be-bopping around town? What are your experiences with hybrid SUVs and smaller cars? We'll keep you in the loop as we shop around.

Billy Warden carries the flag for Gen X. Billy learned civics from the Clash. He spent a decade contributing to L.A.'s smog. Now he's trying to raise a green family in Raleigh.

Greg Behr champions Gen Y. Greg learned civics from Radiohead. His carbon footprint expands whenever a cool rock show requires a road trip. When not road tripping, he's a contender for the title of Cary's greenest twenty-something.

To see more of these guys' work, check out www.raleighquarterly.com."

(Photo courtesy of CurtisBrownPhotography.com)