I thought this was a great op-ed in the Boston Herald this morning. You hear a lot of complaint from people who don't want to do anything about global warming--or any other environmental woe--that those who are saying we need to do something aren't doing enough themselves. The messenger isn't perfect, so let's ignore the message--even if it means destroying ourselves in the process. But most frustrating about this insistence on "needing more research" is the simple fact that individually doing something to protect the planet really isn't that hard. It isn't rocket science, and you don't have to destoy your life or your standard of living to try it.
But you do have to be humble, and you do have to be open to new ideas, and you do have to be willing to change at least a little. You have to acknowledge the possibility that there might be something good out there that's outside of your current way of living. You have to consider the idea that there might be benefits in things you haven't tried yet. You have to be open to the chance that you might not be quite perfect just yet.
But what have you go to lose? Will it really hurt so much to change a lightbulb? To buy a new (cheap!) water-saving showerhead? To ride your bike every once in a while when you would have driven? Maybe to join a carpool or a vanpool to get to work? Everyone can't do everything. But everyone can do something.
Which is why I don't see any point in shooting messengers like Al Gore. Of course he's not doing as much as he should--nobody is. But at least he's trying. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt: maybe he's doing as much as he can, and trying to make it a little more every day, every month, every year. Are you doing as much? Am I?
About Me
- lisa c. baker
- I love reading books late into the night, sitting up with friends talking about philosophy and theology over coffee, riding my bike to the farmer's market, and playing guitar very loudly when no one's listening.
5 comments:
"Will it really hurt so much...To ride your bike every once in a while when you would have driven?"
Possibly, yes. For starters, in a car, you're surrounded by a metal cage that is legally required to destroy itself as much as possible before destroying you. On a bike, you're surrounded by, well, nothing.
Which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that many people in these high-speed, metal cages don't really give a crap for the guy on his bike. He's a nuisance to other vehicles. And, while some people will vent their frustration on bicyclists by cutting too close when they pass, etc., others will actually throw things.
I, for one, would love to ride my bike whenever I get the chance. At the same time, though, I kinda value my life...
(BTW, I rode around downtown with Brett, Melanie and Matt before, and it wasn't as bad, but out here in the suburbs...that's another story.)
The moral is...we need to get more support for bike riding.
Check out the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, an advocacy group for bicycling. Among other things, they are the reason why MARTA has one of the most bike-friendly public transit systems in the country (that, and the fact that MARTA probably figured that nobody in Atlanta bikes anyway, so why shouldn't they allow bicycles everywhere on the trains?). They also offer a great class (that I keep meaning to take) called Effective Cycling that teaches bikers to ride safely in traffic. And the company where I'm working, Midtown Alliance, is continually adding more bike lanes in Midtown...and I know there are similar groups all over metro Atlanta, even in the suburbs.
And in the meantime, I know it's technically illegal, but what the heck--laws are designed for safety, right? So be safe. Do what I do: ride on the sidewalk.
Thanks for the link! I'll have to look into that...
Bike lanes can be good, but there are still motorist awareness issues. There's only one road—one of the busiest—around here that even has a bike lane, and, of all the roads I've seen a bicycle on, I've never seen anyone use that bike lane. Why?
Well, as you would expect, the bike lane is to the right of all the other lanes. This is mostly good (unless you want to turn left...), until you get to a right turn lane. The bike lane continues to go straight, so the cars have to cut across the bike lane to get in the right-turn lanes. Given the way people drive (i.e., only pay as much attention as they have to to not wreck their own car, never use turn signals, and wait until the last second to realize they needed to turn here, etc.), that's just a disaster waiting to happen.
Well, it would be, if anyone actually used that bike lane.
Also, sidewalks are great...when they exist. In some cases, sidewalks just end out of nowhere. Riding a mountain bike, that's not so much a problem for me. And in many places where there is no sidewalk, there is also no shoulder. And those tend to be 2-lane streets that people usually drive 50+mph on. Wanna piss off a motorist real bad? Yeah...
Sigh...fortunately, I can probably wing it if I wanna bike somewhere very close by, but for normal transportation, I'm stuck with my car.
Glad I've discovered your blog!
Thanks for this post, and to coderforchrist and lisa for the comments, too. Burlington, Vermont is a bike-friendly community, too. (That's where I live.)
Thanks, Jayv, and welcome! Yes, apparently Burlington was also ranked by Bike Magazine as "the hippest place to live and ride"...ah, what a difference from Atlanta...
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