George, I understand your bitterness about this crazy "sprawl" we developed due to cheap gasoline, but you can't expect people to sell their homes overnight.
Also, positive reinforcement is more effective than criticism at encouraging societal change. Bike-to-Work Day could turn into regular bike commuting because the event gets people just to try it for one day. When confronting change, the first step is the most difficult one of all. Imagine: someone borrows a bike for that day, discovers it's feasible and fun, obtains a bike, and uses it more and more. That's better than no change at all. Many of us live beyond the bus line because we chose to own land. We grow our own vegetables, tend our forests, and are good organic land stewards. But usually at least one person in the farmhouse holds a job in Ithaca. So instead of driving 20 miles into town, that person does what s/he can: bikes or carpools for 10 miles to the nearest Park 'n Ride, and takes the bus the rest of the way. This type of compromise is far better than driving the whole way round trip. It's simply not true that "neither Al Gore nor anybody else" is willing to confront this problem of sprawl and its transportation challenges. Sustainable Tompkins, for example, just convened a public meeting on the topic, with Ithaca Carshare and other groups presenting real solutions. Ironically, Bike-to-Work Day is one of hundreds of examples that proves the exact opposite of your assertion. The event demonstrates a willingness to confront this problem and take action to solve it. Jan Quarles ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Frantz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 12:36 PM Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] bike to work > Noble idea, but why just Bike to Work Day? > > Why not Bike to Work Week? > > Why not Bike to Work Month? > > Why not just everybody just regularly commuting to work by bike? > > Oh, that's right. Rather than living in compact, walkable, bikable and > transit-friendly communities most Americans, including about 80 percent of > Tompkins County's (non-student) workforce, choose to live in a place where > any form of journey to work transportation other than the single-occupancy > automobile is just plain inconvenient. > > Another one of those Inconvenient Truths that neither Al Gore nor anybody > else seems willing to confront. > > George Frantz > > > > Andrejs Ozolins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just alerting folks to a sort of grassroots eruption re Bike to Work Day: > http://flcycling.org/info/btwd2008/index.shtml > Please join in if interested and possible. > > Andrejs > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it > now. > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.9/1417 - Release Date: 5/6/2008 > 8:07 AM > > _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
