[SustainableTompkins] practical ideas for getting around town

[marlo capoccia]

hi andy and all,
i haven't been following this conversation, but read what andy said  
and have been thinking about these things myself.  i have tended to  
ask more practical than philosophical questions here, so i hope  
you'll indulge me again with another set of questions for immediate  
application relating to andy's post.

any suggestions for moving a family around town?  while we do walk  
and bike a lot, it isn't always workable.

what about when you have to go out of town?  again, the family is an  
issue- as is time.  with three boys and two working parents, we often  
have to get places fast.

to finish with, we go through bursts of thinking about how to save  
energy at home and would love to hear more thoughts about home energy  
use.

thanks very much,
marlo




On Jul 18, 2008, at 9:39 AM, Andy Goodell wrote:

> The problem is that we are relying on concentrated forms of energy  
> - whether
> is it coal or gasoline - that both pollute, both cause  
> environmental issues,
> and neither of which can ever be used sustainably. Cars will never  
> be an
> ultimate solution to any energy problem. Electric cars scare me  
> too, not
> just because they potentially pollute more than gas, but because if a
> significant portion of this country's cars are electric, the energy  
> has to
> come from somewhere. Plus, we would need to manufacture the  
> batteries to
> store all of that energy. Sure, using power plants at night is a  
> good idea,
> but if we are building more power plants and batteries because of  
> electric
> cars, than we are not helping the situation at all.
>
> Innovations in energy efficiency are much more important than the  
> source.
> Want to save gas? Stop driving so much. Want to save coal? Stop  
> wasting so
> much electricity. There are so many options out there, and  
> Americans are so
> hesitant to try them unless it fits our comfortable way of life,  
> while most
> of the world uses far less and suffers from the problems created here.
>
> I specifically chose to live in a place that I knew I would easily  
> get along
> without owning a car. I get everywhere by bike except when I have  
> been lazy
> and use the moped, which is about $2 of gas per month with my  
> current usage.
> Even if the 300mpg plug-in-option car like the Atpera were  
> available in NY,
> I would not buy it. I have absolutely no desire for more efficient  
> cars, in
> fact I would love to see them disappear altogether. What I want to  
> see is a
> community, a whole-system approach, and a way of life that does not  
> require
> owning an expensive, energy wasting, polluting vehicle. Whether it  
> is coal
> or gasoline, they are both heading nowhere near the goal of  
> reducing our
> consumption.
>
> -Andy
>
> On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 1:33 PM, Tony Del Plato  
> <tonydelplato at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I was taken aback by the this thought and wondered if anyone on  
>> the TC
>> Sustainability list has a take on whether a Prius, if plugged in to
>> re-charge its battery, could indirectly pollute more than and is less
>> efficient than a gasoline fueled car. The article below sounds  
>> compelling
>> in
>> light of the coal industry trying to get into the transportation  
>> market.
>> Tony Del Plato
>>
>> http://www.betterworldclub.com/articles/ 
>> DC_Case_Against_Electric_Car.htm
>>
>> --
>>
>> "Justice is what love looks like in public."
>> ~ Dr. Cornel West
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> "Justice is what love looks like in public."
>> ~ Dr. Cornel West
>> _______________________________________________
>> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County  
>> area,
>> please visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
>>
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>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Andy Goodell
> www.IthacaCarshare.org
> 607-277-3210
> _______________________________________________
> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County  
> area, please visit:  http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
>
> RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for:
> SustainableTompkins at lists.mutualaid.org
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Marlo Capoccia
Garden Gate
www.gardengatedelivery.com