May 20, 2007 at 7:43 pm
· Filed under Changing Things, Commuting, Cycling, Sustainability
Very thought-provoking essay over at Bike Commute Tips — “Bicycling against car culture” — in which this amazing tidbit resides:
One of the challenges is, of course, the hegemonic dominance of the automobile in American culture. The U.S. automobile industry spends $17 billion each year on advertising–by comparison, almost double what the federal government spends on transit ($9 billion)–to promote the supposed ego-satisfaction benefits of their product.
From afar, you see big changes happening in places like London, San Francisco, and elsewhere. Is there any chance for a car-cultural revolution in the entire US, or will they keep it going as long as the oil holds out?
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April 21, 2007 at 11:56 am
· Filed under California, Hiking, History, Inspiration, Outdoors, Philosophy, Sustainability
Today would have been John Muir’s 169th birthday, but considering all he did in his life, he lived every year like two. From Wikipedia:
John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914) was one of the first modern conservationists. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, and wildlife, especially in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, were read by millions and are still popular today. His direct activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. His writings and philosophy strongly influenced the formation of the modern environmental movement.
The Sierra Club website has a John Muir Exhibit which includes Google Earth tie-ins to follow along with his adventures.
John Muir led a life that mixed high adventure and heartfelt advocacy for the protection of wilderness — an approach to living summed up in the Sierra Club motto: Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
Now, you can explore some of the important places and moments in Muir’s life with Google Earth, powerful mapping software you can download for free.
Give the nearest patch of dirt a friendly pat tomorrow and wish the planet a happy Earth Day while you’re at it. ;)
And then on Monday, wish my wife Denyse a Happy Birthday! ;D
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March 28, 2007 at 7:45 am
· Filed under Commuting, Public Transport, Sustainability
Not ending pavement, but ending the car — a step in the right direction, so to speak. ;) The Good Human decides to go carless in Los Angeles.
9 days ago, my wife and I sold one of our cars…which left me carless. We had been contemplating this change for a few months, and after many discussions about the consequences, we decided that it was totally worth it to go down to having only one car….
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