Hi George (with others listening in), Country mouse here again. I applaud your choice, but being a city mouse just didn't work for my soul (or the current mortgage crisis, but that's another topic).
I think we all have to be respectful of each others' choices (although we should also gently inform each other of the implications of our choices, which is why I enjoy sharing this list-serve with you and many other fine folks), and I highly respect both your personal choices and your professional and personal opinions that you share so generously with us. This morning as I was taking a longer than usual shower, feeling guilty because of its propane-fired heat source, I had two thoughts: First solar hot water (probably not worth it on my house--according to most experts--but I wouldn't feel so guilty). Besides, there is a water conservation issue. So back to short showers most days. However, I think I think well during showers that last more than 3 minutes, and today's inspiration was WIDER RURAL ROADS. Really. Adding TWO MORE LANES. Of course they would be pike/ped lanes (or PATHS as the situation allowed). They would make it much safer for people and rural rodents to walk, bike, scoot, skate, stroll etc to the bus stops, to their informal car pool, or even the whole way to their destination. The paths/lanes should undulate and have LOW (hear that, City of Ithaca) plantings (except where they have trees with branches ABOVE people's sight lines) so that rural roads don't appear to drivers of motorized vehicles to be wide and straight and good for speeding. Yes, we do need to move past a car-based economy, and as soon as possible, but we also should still be able to live in the country. Margaret On Nov 17, 2008, at 8:15 AM, George Frantz wrote: > > The fact that the question "Have You Driven a Bus or a Train > Lately?" is even being posed indicative of the pathetically un- > environmentally oriented state of American society's attitudes. > > As for Mr. Goodman's statement: > "As we now know, warnings like these (Udall's) went unheeded, and > Americans became ever more car-dependent. And now, the auto industry > is asking for government money that promises, even with more fuel- > efficient cars, to give us more of the same. Instead of supporting > companies that want to put as many cars on the road as possible, we > need a transformational strategy." > > It is not the government that made the American automobile industry > what it is today, and it is not the government that needs a > transformational strategy. > > It's WE, the PEOPLE, the faces looking out from the bathroom mirror, > who created the monster, and it's WE, the PEOPLE who need not a > transformational strategy, but a major transformation in attitude > with regard to what constitutes an environmentally responsible > lifestyle. > > Me? I took the bus five times in the past week; the subway (NYC) > twice; the bike 14-15 times; walked seven times (+/- 5 miles total) > and took the car 5 times. But I can do that, because I made a > lifestyle choice 20 years ago to stay in the city and deal with city > "problems" like noise, traffic and my close neighbors' lifestyle > choices. I chose to do so instead of moving to the suburbs or, > worse, 5-10 miles beyond to some quaint village or into the middle > of the woods. > > That wasn't government policy or automotive industry practice. That > was personal choice. > > WE are the problem. WE are the solution. That is if we want to be > the solution. > > Speaking of transformational policy by the way, why not just > euthanize the carmakers and give the $$$ to cities to upgrade their > systems? That would provide high quality local jobs, spur local > economic development, free up a lot of urban and suburban land > wasted on car dealerships and parking lots for more ecologically > responsible uses such as decent, affordable housing. It would also > enable Bombardier, Kawasaki and other industries that specialize in > mass transit reap the profit of their investment in plant, equipment > and product design. > > There are indeed other options to saving the automobile industry, if > we as a society stop being fixated on the automobile as a mode of > transportation, and stop sustaining the industry with our lifestyle > choices. > > George Frantz > > > --- On Sun, 11/16/08, Elan Shapiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > From: Elan Shapiro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [SustainableTompkins] NY Times op ed on need for car makers > to switch to build public transit > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 8:55 PM > > Have You Driven a Bus or a Train Lately? > <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/opinion/16goodman.html? > ref=opinion>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/opinion/16goodman.html?ref=opinion > -- > Elan Shapiro > Sustainable Tompkins Community Partnership Coordinator > Sustainable Living Associates, Principal > Frog's Way B&B > 211 Rachel Carson Way > Ithaca, NY 14850 > 607-275-0249 607-592-8402 Cell > > "We must be the change we want to see in the world" > Mohandas Gandhi > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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
