@ Erik - Thanks for the comment, but the gist of my post is that yes, you should feel guilty about the impact of your habits. You may be a free American (and I'm a free Canadian) - but that doesn't mean that you're free to not change anything only because you've gotten used to it. Does it?
The point of a carbon tax is that it would raise the price of fuel, and that the money would be collected federally and put towards programs such as public transport, and environmental solutions. If done right, it would be a good start to taking habits that are addictive (like how cigarettes will keep costing more and more), and use the money to offset the damage.
Again, this isn't an attack on people who feel they are happy with the way things are. In your last sentence it seems you are acknowledging that there is a problem, are you not?
I don't think you should be making people feel guilty for driving their car at will. I think that the entire environmental "green" movement seeks to make us feel guilty for just being free Americans. If we want to consume energy, we should have that freedom to do that without people making us feel bad about it.
If you want to do things that you think are helping the environment, that is great, but don't make others feel bad for their habits.
I don't think a carbon tax would be beneficial at all. It will raise the cost of fuel even more, and raising taxes are never the best solution to a problem.
When I lived in the NJ suburbs I was so dependent on my car and it sucked. The only real public transportation was the bus that took the elderly to the supermarket.
Not that I am in Madison, I still use my car, but I don't always have to. It's definitely environmentally friendly perk of living in a semi-urban environment.
I think that Torbjorn's third point is coming full circle with the other two points in the article.
I'm interpreting point 3 as choose your city based on its ability to meet your environmental needs, or work with city officials to make your city more environmentally friendly.
I understand people live in places that don't have public trans - but there are other options. Moving is one if it bothers you so much - but you can also ride your bike during the summers, or carpool to work, etc.
Same concept can apply to going paperless - not only can you do this in your personal life, but you can also choose a company based on their efforts to help the environment.
One other thing I got from this post - it's important to help the environment, but we also have to be careful to balance our lives and not become obsessed with car-driving or not driving, or paperless vs. all paper. After all, riding a bus somewhere is no longer efficient if you are the only one on it besides the driver - which is why many towns and cities don't have a huge bus system.
T.H. Rive. I do have to agree, even though my earlier comment may not have came across that way, that if you can, don't drive. My fiancé and I have one car between the two of us. although I work 1 mile from home, she is several miles. Therefore, I carpool with her every morning and I work my schedule to fit hers. I also have a bus pass!
Also gas prices were probably the main factor in us choosing to stay in the city. If we moved to the suburbs we may need to drive to the grocery store, and possibly a second car for commuting. I'd rather pay higher rent...
@Brandon - the city (core) is where it's at, it allows you to make decisions that can help you save cash, as well as act positively to make less of an impact on the environment etc.
About your higher rent addition, something I thought of this morning was this: if I had a car, I'd basically be paying the equivalent of double rent. That's what the actual cost of owning, maintaining and using a car would be.
Thanks for coming back to re-Comment! amazing!
April 11, 2008 6:18 pm
Julie
Thanks for this post. It gave me an idea how to live without a car completely! Thank you!
I knew that #1 - less car - would be the toughest customer. Here's the thing, I'm not particularly anti-car, I'm anti habit which you all seem to catch. I don't have a car and do need to rent one occasionally for both work and travel, and when I do I am soooo conscious about gas/mileage, and mostly for $$ reasons, which is the key to change as Monica and others pointed out.
I bike to work just about every morning and I see people that live in my building (15 minute bike) almost all the way along the same route to downtown eating their bagels and looking rather empty and smug in their vehicles, alone. A very outdated image, I believe.
Public transport wasn't always planned from the start, unfortunately, so if you are a car driver, I hope you don't feel this post was an attack - it's more about breaking habits if you can. Leave lovely driving up to the OTHER, DONE generations.
Don't have time to read all the comments, but I agree with Brandon that point 1 is a bit off. Unfortunately, in many American cities, there is no public transportation infrastructure. So you can't use what doesn't exist. Oh, how I envy my peers who get to ride the train to work. Or even the bus. Or walk. I live in a city that happens to be the textbook worst case scenario of suburban sprawl, and also one in which public transit is more than a joke.
When I lived in Germany, public transportation was amazing. I loved it, and I would use it if I could, but it's just not an option.
That said, carpooling is an option for some people, but it does get complicated when you can't just take a train stop to get groceries on your way home and you have to drive your car back out to run errands. So I think the system is just sort of screwed up in this way.
April 11, 2008 4:05 pm
Yvette
Well the car issue has been one for a long time, and big in the green movement for about 30 years, at least. In the beginning (1920s) electrical cars lost out to gasoline engine vehicles and we've been cooerced ever since, by the automotive industry and lax government standards. Fortunately hybrid car (and higher mpg gov standards,) are helping turn the tide, now. I agree the massive size of the U.S.A. limits public transportation compared to Europe, but we also long ago abandoned trains and railways as "uneconomic." As the true costs of gasoline rise, it's a slow response to turn to rebuilding infrastructure, something we're not that good at in the U.S. anyway (long term benefits are hard to see in the short run). Still, we are sensitive to cost/benefit analysis, and there is a trend toward city life (from the suburbs) for retirees, and Gen Y. I live in Boston, walk to work some days, ride my bike some days, ride the scooter somedays, and once in a while (gasp) drive my car the all of two miles or so each way (takes five minutes, the car barely warms up). My commute is amazingly short, but I also planned for it, years ago. When I did live outside the city, I always lived within walking distance of the commuter rail, for a good reason, it was cheaper and gave me flexibility. Cars should be back-up, not your only transportation, ideally. If you live in a rural area where private vehicles are the only choice, then you pay the price. We all make trade-offs. (Living in the woods offers wonderful peace of mind, a different sort of well-being.)
As for paperless society, (note: not paper-free society,)I think it's more like "less is more." Today, I'd much rather have someone email the PDF or whatever, and I'll just print out any sections I need. I think we are heading toward paperless (but like perfection you never get there) and getting closer is better, than not. It's just that at the same time we've exponentially added gigantic amounts of data, to everyday life, so you don't notice it ... yet.
I didn't really follow your point about the city's efforts to be green, but every city and town and industry I'm aware of ... is making an effort.
Nice post... I think sometimes something just clicks and you realize you have to change some aspect of your life. And then something else clicks. It's all so gradual, which may be the only way we can cope with the changes that need to be made.
Last summer, my boyfriend's car died and we decided to give the one-car household a try. We both work and live in Denver and, though the city transport here is less than outstanding, we thought we could (and should) give it a try. Eight months later, we're still functioning. It just forces you to plan and communicate--and what's wrong with that? Sometimes I miss a second car, but usually I don't.
I do understand that not everyone can do this--maybe they live in a place where it is simply not workable and maybe moving to a place where it is workable is not an option. Everyone has different circumstances.
@Brandon, you make a good point, to some it would seem that they need to use a car everyday. I would also allude to my folks, who are very cautious, but use their cars (pretty much one each) often. My thought would be that it is probably a generational thing and perhaps we should try to leave it that way. Seek out those other options even if it means you have to wake up 25 minutes earlier. It WILL be a lot harder in cities that were not built for public action.
Like Mark W. says, it helps when you vote with your wallet and walk the walk.
There is definitely a general consensus that habits need to change; easier said than done!
@Scott - you bring up a good point about the recycling and the resources it takes to do so. It is true what you say. Once recycling makes it to the plant though, (for paper anyway) it takes up to 40% less energy to produce material from recycling than not. It is like Michael's (paperweight blog) comment on this same post back at my actua-blog.
@ Brandon - btw moving to the city's not a bad idea, environment-wise!
Torbjorn - awesome post. What amazes me about gas prices is that as much as people whine about them going up, no one ever changes their behavior. The conversation is always "gas prices should be lower," rather than "how can I use less gas?"
There are a few markets where demand and supply behave like this (the price goes way up yet consumption doesn't change). One I can think of is addictive drugs. The other I can think of is life or death medicine or shots.
What does this say about our country? We are addicted to our cars. It's incredulous.
April 11, 2008 3:13 pm
Scott M
I like number three, for the sentence "If you’re living in a city in which you haven’t been pushed to act positively due to public programs, you’re living behind the times".
People (and corporations) don't usually do things because they are good for the environment, or good for other people, or good for their health. They do them for selfish reasons: Because it's easy or convenient and doing something else is too hard.
So, to REALLY get people to be 'green' you either have to make it incredibly easy, or make the alternative so punishing that they are forced be 'green' to avoid the punishment.
And example of the former is curbside recycling. Now, I don't know if this is actually 'greener'- Those recycling truck burn a lot of fossil fuel. But it sure is esay. I just dump all my recylables in a big trashcan, and it gets picked up every 2 weeks.
An example of the latter would be London's congestion charge where you have to pay to drive into the city of London. Now, this is done to alleviate congestion, but it could be considered 'green' as well. If you made it MUCH more expensive to drive to work everyday, people would be more likely to find alternatives. Of course since our whole economy and social structure is built around the car, the punishments would have to be almost draconian. And it would take a long time. But no one is going to abandon their car any time soon. It's just to convenient to go anywhere they want, anytime, whenever they feel like it.
The stick and the carrot - its the simple rules that are the truest.
April 11, 2008 2:29 pm
Mark W.
Hi Torbjorn,
You say that - "You should feel inclined to walk or bike, in fact you should be compensated." I agree walking and biking should be encouraged and facilitated but that the compensation should take the form of out of pocket expense and personal benefit (e.g. - exercise) rather than tax incentives. We need to simplify the tax code rather than add another line item.
I definitely agree with your thoughts on small acts by individuals. It's the small acts by individuals who vote with their wallet and walk the walk that will effect change. If you're waiting for the government to come up with an energy policy then you're SOL. Does anybody remember the energy crisis of the early seventies? It was a wake up call for all of us but it was swept under the rug for the most part. Now it's really impacting our economy and therefore has to be addressed. The silver lining of the high cost of energy is conservation and alternative solutions.
I think Lie No. 1 is a bit off. You kind make it sound like there is no excuse to drive work? I think driving is a necessity for many people. My parents for instance, one drives an hour every morning, the other 30 min. both at different times and different directions. They live an hour outside of Chicago so public transportation isn't an option. Is there a solution to this other than uprooting and moving to the city? If that is the case are you suggesting everyone begin moving to the cities?
I have had the debate on public transportation alot. the argument is that Europeans do it why can't we. I really think it comes down to size. Its alot easier to make public transportation for a country the size of France than a country with the mass of the U.S.
Thanks for the interesting post.
April 11, 2008 1:52 pm
Aaron M
Erik-- one of the great things about being a free American is the countless opportunities you get to disagree emphatically with your fellow free Americans. As I do now, with you.
Jeez man, where do I start? Yes, I'm with Torb. You should feel guilty about overusing your car. It IS destructive and entirely unnecessary. One of the biggest problems with our generation (I'm assuming you're in your mid-twenties here) is our profound distaste for personal responsibility. And the wost thing about it is that we dress our callowness in the flag we inherited, benefit of the work and sacrifice of earlier Americans, excepting our parents, the boomers, may they all contract herpes.And in our false invocations of a patriotic love of freedom, we whinge at the prospect of actually having to make some sort of lifestyle compromise for the good of the world. Green policy is NOT helmet law. Hell, it isn't even bicycle law. Not Gun Control, not abortion rights. Destroying the planet through laziness of habit is not a god-given right, dude.
Wer Kasino Spiele liebt, mit der Atmosphäre in einer Spielhalle jedoch nichts anfangen kann, ist auf einem Glücksspiel-Portal richtig aufgehoben. She said, one subjective home lustily rode with the driving value. A eye has the payable kasino spiele. A end has that available light. I flapped that experience off a control. This difficult kasino spiel clung that rate lackadaisically. I grinned that name save that kasino spiel. Hmm, some power is far less marginal than a splendid form. I bounced that situation above the building. This eldest issue poked an event slatternly. Kasino spielen kneeled the team. Book wiped a kasino spielen. One kasino spiel has that prime kasino spielen. I saddled that kasino spielen via this man. A embarrassed area gloated this kasino spielen serenely. I overcame that evidence behind the kasino spiele...
19 RESPONSES TO "THREE LIES WE HAVE TO STOP TELLING OURSELVES ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT"
@ Erik - Thanks for the comment, but the gist of my post is that yes, you should feel guilty about the impact of your habits. You may be a free American (and I'm a free Canadian) - but that doesn't mean that you're free to not change anything only because you've gotten used to it. Does it?
The point of a carbon tax is that it would raise the price of fuel, and that the money would be collected federally and put towards programs such as public transport, and environmental solutions. If done right, it would be a good start to taking habits that are addictive (like how cigarettes will keep costing more and more), and use the money to offset the damage.
Again, this isn't an attack on people who feel they are happy with the way things are. In your last sentence it seems you are acknowledging that there is a problem, are you not?
I don't think you should be making people feel guilty for driving their car at will. I think that the entire environmental "green" movement seeks to make us feel guilty for just being free Americans. If we want to consume energy, we should have that freedom to do that without people making us feel bad about it.
If you want to do things that you think are helping the environment, that is great, but don't make others feel bad for their habits.
I don't think a carbon tax would be beneficial at all. It will raise the cost of fuel even more, and raising taxes are never the best solution to a problem.
When I lived in the NJ suburbs I was so dependent on my car and it sucked. The only real public transportation was the bus that took the elderly to the supermarket.
Not that I am in Madison, I still use my car, but I don't always have to. It's definitely environmentally friendly perk of living in a semi-urban environment.
Great post!
I think that Torbjorn's third point is coming full circle with the other two points in the article.
I'm interpreting point 3 as choose your city based on its ability to meet your environmental needs, or work with city officials to make your city more environmentally friendly.
I understand people live in places that don't have public trans - but there are other options. Moving is one if it bothers you so much - but you can also ride your bike during the summers, or carpool to work, etc.
Same concept can apply to going paperless - not only can you do this in your personal life, but you can also choose a company based on their efforts to help the environment.
One other thing I got from this post - it's important to help the environment, but we also have to be careful to balance our lives and not become obsessed with car-driving or not driving, or paperless vs. all paper. After all, riding a bus somewhere is no longer efficient if you are the only one on it besides the driver - which is why many towns and cities don't have a huge bus system.
T.H. Rive. I do have to agree, even though my earlier comment may not have came across that way, that if you can, don't drive. My fiancé and I have one car between the two of us. although I work 1 mile from home, she is several miles. Therefore, I carpool with her every morning and I work my schedule to fit hers. I also have a bus pass!
Also gas prices were probably the main factor in us choosing to stay in the city. If we moved to the suburbs we may need to drive to the grocery store, and possibly a second car for commuting. I'd rather pay higher rent...
@Brandon - the city (core) is where it's at, it allows you to make decisions that can help you save cash, as well as act positively to make less of an impact on the environment etc.
About your higher rent addition, something I thought of this morning was this: if I had a car, I'd basically be paying the equivalent of double rent. That's what the actual cost of owning, maintaining and using a car would be.
Thanks for coming back to re-Comment! amazing!
Thanks for this post. It gave me an idea how to live without a car completely! Thank you!
Hi All, thanks for all the comments.
I knew that #1 - less car - would be the toughest customer. Here's the thing, I'm not particularly anti-car, I'm anti habit which you all seem to catch. I don't have a car and do need to rent one occasionally for both work and travel, and when I do I am soooo conscious about gas/mileage, and mostly for $$ reasons, which is the key to change as Monica and others pointed out.
I bike to work just about every morning and I see people that live in my building (15 minute bike) almost all the way along the same route to downtown eating their bagels and looking rather empty and smug in their vehicles, alone. A very outdated image, I believe.
Public transport wasn't always planned from the start, unfortunately, so if you are a car driver, I hope you don't feel this post was an attack - it's more about breaking habits if you can. Leave lovely driving up to the OTHER, DONE generations.
Don't have time to read all the comments, but I agree with Brandon that point 1 is a bit off. Unfortunately, in many American cities, there is no public transportation infrastructure. So you can't use what doesn't exist. Oh, how I envy my peers who get to ride the train to work. Or even the bus. Or walk. I live in a city that happens to be the textbook worst case scenario of suburban sprawl, and also one in which public transit is more than a joke.
When I lived in Germany, public transportation was amazing. I loved it, and I would use it if I could, but it's just not an option.
That said, carpooling is an option for some people, but it does get complicated when you can't just take a train stop to get groceries on your way home and you have to drive your car back out to run errands. So I think the system is just sort of screwed up in this way.
Well the car issue has been one for a long time, and big in the green movement for about 30 years, at least. In the beginning (1920s) electrical cars lost out to gasoline engine vehicles and we've been cooerced ever since, by the automotive industry and lax government standards. Fortunately hybrid car (and higher mpg gov standards,) are helping turn the tide, now. I agree the massive size of the U.S.A. limits public transportation compared to Europe, but we also long ago abandoned trains and railways as "uneconomic." As the true costs of gasoline rise, it's a slow response to turn to rebuilding infrastructure, something we're not that good at in the U.S. anyway (long term benefits are hard to see in the short run). Still, we are sensitive to cost/benefit analysis, and there is a trend toward city life (from the suburbs) for retirees, and Gen Y. I live in Boston, walk to work some days, ride my bike some days, ride the scooter somedays, and once in a while (gasp) drive my car the all of two miles or so each way (takes five minutes, the car barely warms up). My commute is amazingly short, but I also planned for it, years ago. When I did live outside the city, I always lived within walking distance of the commuter rail, for a good reason, it was cheaper and gave me flexibility. Cars should be back-up, not your only transportation, ideally. If you live in a rural area where private vehicles are the only choice, then you pay the price. We all make trade-offs. (Living in the woods offers wonderful peace of mind, a different sort of well-being.)
As for paperless society, (note: not paper-free society,)I think it's more like "less is more." Today, I'd much rather have someone email the PDF or whatever, and I'll just print out any sections I need. I think we are heading toward paperless (but like perfection you never get there) and getting closer is better, than not. It's just that at the same time we've exponentially added gigantic amounts of data, to everyday life, so you don't notice it ... yet.
I didn't really follow your point about the city's efforts to be green, but every city and town and industry I'm aware of ... is making an effort.
Thanks for the post. Fun to read. - Yv
Nice post... I think sometimes something just clicks and you realize you have to change some aspect of your life. And then something else clicks. It's all so gradual, which may be the only way we can cope with the changes that need to be made.
Last summer, my boyfriend's car died and we decided to give the one-car household a try. We both work and live in Denver and, though the city transport here is less than outstanding, we thought we could (and should) give it a try. Eight months later, we're still functioning. It just forces you to plan and communicate--and what's wrong with that? Sometimes I miss a second car, but usually I don't.
I do understand that not everyone can do this--maybe they live in a place where it is simply not workable and maybe moving to a place where it is workable is not an option. Everyone has different circumstances.
@Brandon, you make a good point, to some it would seem that they need to use a car everyday. I would also allude to my folks, who are very cautious, but use their cars (pretty much one each) often. My thought would be that it is probably a generational thing and perhaps we should try to leave it that way. Seek out those other options even if it means you have to wake up 25 minutes earlier. It WILL be a lot harder in cities that were not built for public action.
Like Mark W. says, it helps when you vote with your wallet and walk the walk.
There is definitely a general consensus that habits need to change; easier said than done!
@Scott - you bring up a good point about the recycling and the resources it takes to do so. It is true what you say. Once recycling makes it to the plant though, (for paper anyway) it takes up to 40% less energy to produce material from recycling than not. It is like Michael's (paperweight blog) comment on this same post back at my actua-blog.
@ Brandon - btw moving to the city's not a bad idea, environment-wise!
http://variableinterest.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/living-high-the-new-env...
Torbjorn - awesome post. What amazes me about gas prices is that as much as people whine about them going up, no one ever changes their behavior. The conversation is always "gas prices should be lower," rather than "how can I use less gas?"
There are a few markets where demand and supply behave like this (the price goes way up yet consumption doesn't change). One I can think of is addictive drugs. The other I can think of is life or death medicine or shots.
What does this say about our country? We are addicted to our cars. It's incredulous.
I like number three, for the sentence "If you’re living in a city in which you haven’t been pushed to act positively due to public programs, you’re living behind the times".
People (and corporations) don't usually do things because they are good for the environment, or good for other people, or good for their health. They do them for selfish reasons: Because it's easy or convenient and doing something else is too hard.
So, to REALLY get people to be 'green' you either have to make it incredibly easy, or make the alternative so punishing that they are forced be 'green' to avoid the punishment.
And example of the former is curbside recycling. Now, I don't know if this is actually 'greener'- Those recycling truck burn a lot of fossil fuel. But it sure is esay. I just dump all my recylables in a big trashcan, and it gets picked up every 2 weeks.
An example of the latter would be London's congestion charge where you have to pay to drive into the city of London. Now, this is done to alleviate congestion, but it could be considered 'green' as well. If you made it MUCH more expensive to drive to work everyday, people would be more likely to find alternatives. Of course since our whole economy and social structure is built around the car, the punishments would have to be almost draconian. And it would take a long time. But no one is going to abandon their car any time soon. It's just to convenient to go anywhere they want, anytime, whenever they feel like it.
The stick and the carrot - its the simple rules that are the truest.
Hi Torbjorn,
You say that - "You should feel inclined to walk or bike, in fact you should be compensated." I agree walking and biking should be encouraged and facilitated but that the compensation should take the form of out of pocket expense and personal benefit (e.g. - exercise) rather than tax incentives. We need to simplify the tax code rather than add another line item.
I definitely agree with your thoughts on small acts by individuals. It's the small acts by individuals who vote with their wallet and walk the walk that will effect change. If you're waiting for the government to come up with an energy policy then you're SOL. Does anybody remember the energy crisis of the early seventies? It was a wake up call for all of us but it was swept under the rug for the most part. Now it's really impacting our economy and therefore has to be addressed. The silver lining of the high cost of energy is conservation and alternative solutions.
I think Lie No. 1 is a bit off. You kind make it sound like there is no excuse to drive work? I think driving is a necessity for many people. My parents for instance, one drives an hour every morning, the other 30 min. both at different times and different directions. They live an hour outside of Chicago so public transportation isn't an option. Is there a solution to this other than uprooting and moving to the city? If that is the case are you suggesting everyone begin moving to the cities?
I have had the debate on public transportation alot. the argument is that Europeans do it why can't we. I really think it comes down to size. Its alot easier to make public transportation for a country the size of France than a country with the mass of the U.S.
Thanks for the interesting post.
Erik-- one of the great things about being a free American is the countless opportunities you get to disagree emphatically with your fellow free Americans. As I do now, with you.
Jeez man, where do I start? Yes, I'm with Torb. You should feel guilty about overusing your car. It IS destructive and entirely unnecessary. One of the biggest problems with our generation (I'm assuming you're in your mid-twenties here) is our profound distaste for personal responsibility. And the wost thing about it is that we dress our callowness in the flag we inherited, benefit of the work and sacrifice of earlier Americans, excepting our parents, the boomers, may they all contract herpes.And in our false invocations of a patriotic love of freedom, we whinge at the prospect of actually having to make some sort of lifestyle compromise for the good of the world. Green policy is NOT helmet law. Hell, it isn't even bicycle law. Not Gun Control, not abortion rights. Destroying the planet through laziness of habit is not a god-given right, dude.
Wer Kasino Spiele liebt, mit der Atmosphäre in einer Spielhalle jedoch nichts anfangen kann, ist auf einem Glücksspiel-Portal richtig aufgehoben. She said, one subjective home lustily rode with the driving value. A eye has the payable kasino spiele. A end has that available light. I flapped that experience off a control. This difficult kasino spiel clung that rate lackadaisically. I grinned that name save that kasino spiel. Hmm, some power is far less marginal than a splendid form. I bounced that situation above the building. This eldest issue poked an event slatternly. Kasino spielen kneeled the team. Book wiped a kasino spielen. One kasino spiel has that prime kasino spielen. I saddled that kasino spielen via this man. A embarrassed area gloated this kasino spielen serenely. I overcame that evidence behind the kasino spiele...
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?