Current TV wants to know 13

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1. 

   Werdna Posted 6:43 am
   15 Aug 2007

   Bad linkThe url to the 60 second to save the earth should be:
   
   http://www.current.tv/ecospot?cpn=gristeco
   
   Andrew Eisenberg
   
   
   The gateway project is wrong---http://www.livableregion.ca/blog/blogs/index.php/

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2. 

   MGTW Posted 7:12 am
   15 Aug 2007

   Top LinkDoesn't work either.

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3. 

   Delay And Deny Posted 7:24 am
   15 Aug 2007

   Carfree Cities
   
   win a Toyota
   The prize for reducing pollution is a car?
   Grrr....
   http://carfree.com
   
   John Bailo
   
   
   Supratext:

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4. 

   wiscidea Posted 8:34 am
   15 Aug 2007

   A slightly different question...I posted this elsewhere, but for some reason nobody cared to answer the question. Here's another opportunity...
   wiscidea wrote:
   "Seriously... why should environmentalists even have automobiles or use any transporation dependent on gasoline, diesel, or biofuel? The list of distributors [see Pick Your Poison] should really be irrelevant to everyone visiting this website. They are ALL "evil". So... just stop buying gas. Move to an urban area where you can walk or bike to work. Cooperate to build neighborhoods that don't require automobiles. Boycott ALL fossil fuel and biofuel. Why not?
   I know some of you don't have cars. Congratulations for breaking free of our cultural addiction to petroleum... seriously... it probably wasn't easy. Wish I had the courage and to do the same.
   But what about the rest of you? Why do you still have cars? Why not move to a place where you don't need a car? There have been plenty of examples described on this very website."
   It's time for the rubber to not meet the road. If you've railed against carbon emissions, railed against pollution, railed against wars over oil, railed against corporate greed, railed against fossil fuel, railed against biofuel... and you drive a car or a truck or tractor that burns fossil fuel -- petroleum, natural gas, or coal -- why do you still have that car or truck or tractor? There are alternatives.
   
   Forward!

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5. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 9:01 am
   15 Aug 2007

   It does not have to be an all or nothingcold turkey thing Wiscidea. I own a Cherokee. I rarely drive it unless I need to haul people or tools somewhere. Taking this line of reasoning too far is what keeps getting environmentalists in trouble. No pet dogs or cats instead of one small pet dog or cat. No children instead of one or  two. No meat instead of small amounts of it. No car instead of driving very little. You have heard me say it before. A dozen environmentalists huddled together in blue tarps in the shadow of  an underpass is not a very powerful lobbying organization.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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6. 

   wiscidea Posted 10:02 am
   15 Aug 2007

   I don't believe it does have to be all or nothing.I'm pretty sure my comments tend to communicate the view that moderation is the key to solving the world's problems. The world is gray. There is a time for burning fossil fuel and a time to not burn fossil fuel. A time to send an army half way around the world and a time to not use an army. There is a place for GMOs (to mention my favorite topic) and a place where GMOs are very inappropriate.
   My remark is obviously not directed at you, biodiversivist. But thank you very much for replying. You reinforce the notion that moderation is a good thing. We don't necessarily have to give up our modern conveniences to preserve what is left of biodiversity.
   But there are other people posting remarks that suggest they view the world in a very all or nothing manner. The present very broad criticisms of different behaviors, suggesting folks who really really care about the environment have to substantially rein in Western culture. I'd like to know whether they drive cars that consume fossil fuel and, if so, how they justify it.
   
   Forward!

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7. 

   Colin Wright Posted 5:32 pm
   15 Aug 2007

   A nice fat tax rebate...I agree with BioD here that we ought to do this in steps. Getting people on to public transit 5 days a week would do a lot to cut emissions as well as free up our clogged streets and clean the air....
   A while ago DR posted a funny commentary by a Neanderthalic Republican ridiculing Democrats for proposing a $20/month tax rebate for cycling. (First they mock you!).
   We have something similar in WA state (Commute Trip Reduction Act) whereby we do get $20/month for leaving the car at home, at least 50% of work days. (Large businesses are mandated to comply!) The twenty bucks makes a difference to me on those wintery months where taking the car seems so much more appealing than my trusty 10-speed.
   So why not extend this idea, so that all "eco-commuters" (walkers, cyclists, bus riders) are eligible for a tax rebate on April 15th for not contributing to road wear-and-tear and helping the US meet its (soon-to-be?) Super-Kyoto obligations?
   I also suggested a similar idea here -- a 35 hour work week (for 40 hours pay) for eco-commuters.
   I must say I like having the car, especially for those hiking trips

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8. 

   Colin Wright Posted 8:03 pm
   15 Aug 2007

   A faux pasIn my above post, I really shouldn't have used "Neanderthal" as a pejorative. The more we learn about these fellow creatures (language, culture, ritual burials, caring for their injured, etc) the more we realize our demeaning projections only serve to alienate us from the natural world.
   I trust I did not offend anyone. (From wikipedia: "Recent genetic simulations suggested that 5% of human DNA can only be accounted for by assuming a substantial contribution of Neanderthaler to the European gene pool of up to 25%.")
   May the fate of the other Great Apes not be theirs.

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9. 

   greggus2000 Posted 1:29 am
   16 Aug 2007

   To give up my car? killer transit and easy bikingI just got back from 2 weeks in Amsterdam for my work.  One of the things that struck me there was how EVERYONE bikes, everywhere.  There are miles of well paved, separate bike lanes everywhere throughout the Netherlands, and in many cases it's actually faster to bike to your destination in Amsterdam than to drive.  
   40% of Amsterdam's citizens bike to work, and an equal number take the light rail or train transit, which are easy, cheap and go just about everywhere.  Theirs is a country that has not prioritized worship of the automobile, like we have here in the U.S., and it shows.  
   Since gasoline in the Netherlands also works out to about $7.50 a gallon, and because it's so expensive to drive, cars are small, biking is super convenient and light rail and train transit is nearly effortless.  Taxes on petrol are high, but they are used to invest in alternative transit models...and in a more efficient auto infrastructure (no crumbling bridges over there).
   I think we can learn something from the Dutch.  
   What would it take for me to give up my car?  
   Efficient and widespread mass transit, dedicated bike lanes, more compact cities vs. the sprawling American subdivision model, and high gasoline costs which subsidize some of the above.  Yes it's a lot to ask, but it could be done here, if we stopped our short-term "navel gazing" and took a long view to energy efficiency and a truly green perspective.
   Greg in Denver

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10. 

    odograph Posted 1:31 am
    16 Aug 2007

    What would convince you to give up your car?I'll do it if everybody else will.

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11. 

    odograph Posted 1:32 am
    16 Aug 2007

    thoughin a practical sense, I'm with BioD that it is about changing the "mean behavior" over time.

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12. 

    amazingdrx Posted 2:21 am
    16 Aug 2007

    ElectricAn electric assisted bicycle, serial plugin biodiesel (from waste) motorcycle and car conversion.  I would convert my car.
    I would use the electric assisted bike when visiting urban areas.  And put it on light rail and buses if possible.
    The motorcycle would be fine for most commuting to shopping and work.  The car would be needed for trips and hauling heavier loads or driving in snow.
    Would that result in 1/10th the GHG from present car travel?  I think so.  If the plugin is to a renewable source, and If the plugin function gave these vehicles around a 50 mile range.
    
    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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