Environment

In my last blog I proposed that cities like Asheville could utilize bicycles as an alternative form of transportation. In that post, some had argued Americans are too attached to their cars, and they would feel it would be an infringement of their freedom to promote the use of bikes in inner cities.

Well how about using cars that are at the fore front of technology? Here is one promising example.:

After fourteen years of research and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. Its application to CAT vehicles gives them significant economical and environmental advantages. With the incorporation of bi-energy (compressed air + fuel) the CAT Vehicles have increased their driving range to close to 2000 km with zero pollution in cities and considerably reduced pollution outside urban areas.

OneCAT will be manufactured into two models:

• A basic and cheaper version: 3 seats, no back seats, no hard top.
• A more complete version: 6 seats, with a hard top, windows, etc...

Read counter point: here

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We are living in a time when many seek solutions to everyday problems such as clean air, traffic congestion, how to raise self-reliant adults and so on.

Sometime the solutions are just so simple. I propose that we can solve at least seven problems with one swipe: Bicycles.

1) It makes economic sence. People save money, cities create jobs because of tourism, business flourish.

2) Do I really have to make an argument as to health benefits for everyone?

3) Reducing the carbon foot print of Asheville.

4) City beautification. Inner-citys can be re-disigned so that all streets are used by bicycles and pedestrians only. Imagine downtown Asheville as one large park with bike paths lined with trees.

5) Family/community friendly which increases the quality of life.

6) Children that use bicycles grow up to become self reliant adults as many experts believe.

7) Reduction of traffic congestion and reducing parking problems by creating parking places on outskirts of inner city.

Read counter points here and here.

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For all of you conservatives who don't believe in global warming, I have questions:

Please explain to me, even if you don't accept global warming, why is it okay to be wasteful of your own money and resources? What's so "conservative" about that?

After all shouldn't conservatives "conserve"?

How is it "in your own rational self-interest" to be wasteful - even if you are an Ayn Randian, CATO Institute loving, Libertarian? If I told you I could save you $30 in energy costs by replacing a single incandescent bulb in your house with an equivalent fluorescent bulb and another $10 in replacement bulb costs, why would you intentionally throw away $40?

How is it patriotic to unnecessarily waste energy that we must obtain at great cost of national blood and treasure in the Middle East from countries that don't particularly like us?

How is it patriotic to waste important materials in "a time of war" if you believe that this is indeed a time of war as the President claims? In World War II, we rationed gas, car pooled, and recycled everything. A famous war poster of that time said it well "If you're riding alone, you're riding with Hitler". Why is it that we feel no need to recycle or conserve anything in this war?

Finally, how is it "Christian" to be bad stewards of God's creation through waste, pollution, and extravagant consumption if you believe that God created this Earth? Remember that to those to whom much has been given, much will be expected.

Perhaps the reason you've never asked these questions yourself is because so many of the world's problems seem hopeless and we often find ourselves giving up on solving them.

Instead, we disengage and deny. We distract ourselves with meaningless nonsense rather than face the problems at hand.

Therefore, while you are wrestling with the answers, here are a few things you can do that don't require you to change your ideology or political affiliation.

1. Start by replacing the light bulbs in your house with fluorescent bulbs. Over its lifetime, a 23 watt fluorescent will produce the same light as a 100 watt incandescent, last 13 times as long and save you about $40 in the process. Who couldn't use an extra $40?
2. Set the thermostat to save you money when you leave the house to go to work. In the winter time turn down the temperature when you leave to 62F. In the summertime turn up the temperature to 82F Why heat or cool an empty house for 6 or 8 hours when you aren't there?
3. Replace that old glass tube CRT with a new LCD screen. It will pay for itself in electrical costs in about a year if you use it a lot.
4. Learn how to use the energy saving features of your computer. All computers built in the last 5 years or so have energy saving features to turn off the hard drives and monitor after a certain period of inactivity and to go into hibernation if not used after a somewhat longer period. This will save you money and save on greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.
5. Listen to you dad. Don't leave the TV, lights or other appliances running 24/7 or leave all the lights on or other appliances going when you aren't using them. That's just money down the drain and more global warming for no good reason.
6. Get an energy audit performed on your home - many utility companies will do this upon request at no charge. They will inspect your home and make recommendations for you on how to save energy in your particular home like installing better insulation, better door and window seals, appliances, etc.
7. Install a flow conserving shower nozzle. These cost about ten bucks at the hardware store, you still get quite a satisfying shower, but the hot water lasts a lot longer and you use far less of it. This is another easy way to save money and reduce greenhouse gases at the same time.

Read counterpoint here.

Tags: Global Warming - Stuff you can do - Environmentalism

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Slate Magazine reports wildlife biologists have been having trouble getting public attention to the plight of a nearly extinct type of lemur called an "Aye Aye". (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

You see, it's easy to get people to sympathize with cute photogenic animals, like tigers, red pandas or Scarlet Johanson.

But the Aye Aye... well... let me put it this way: If you met one and stomped on it with a heavy boot - it would probably improve it's physical characteristics.

It's so scary-looking, the natives of Madagascar consider the Aye-Aye a symbol of death.

Poor little guy.

It's bad enough that another species is about to get rubbed off the earth like a stray pencil mark on an S-A-T test; but to have trouble getting public sympathy about it because the animal happens to look like a wad of chewing-gum with eyeballs... that's just plain unfair.

Since I'm all about helping the underdog - err... underlemur - I've come up with two solutions to help the Aye Aye with it's image problems:

SUGGESTION ONE: Give the Aye Aye a fashion makeover.

GreenPeace should send an elite force of gay fashion consultants into the jungles of Madagascar with a camera-crew in tow.

They could call it: "Queer Eye for the Aye Aye!"

If the gross little lemurs could given gym memberships, some decent jewelry, and taught how to accessorize - it would go a long way toward making them more self confident, and thus more attractive.

To see what is possible, here is some PhotoShop:

You see? It would work!

SUGGESTION TWO: Get ugly celebrities to hang out with the Aye Aye.

Ugly celebrities have a social responsibility to help fellow unattractive beings who are struggling against a system that discriminates against them.

To paraphrase Pastor Martin Niemoller: "First they came for the Aye Aye, but I did nothing because I wasn't that ugly. Then they came for me... and there was no one left to protest."

It should not be difficult to get a few ugly entertainers, such as Lyle Lovett or Steve Buscemi, to do a few photo-ops and Public Service Announcements with the Aye Aye.

Not only would star-power focus media attention on the needs of the ungainly little creature, ugly celebrities would also make them look more attractive by comparison.

I mean, next to Lyle Lovett, the Aye Aye is Venus incarnate.

I'm sure if I wasn't drunk right now, I could think of several other great ideas to save Daubentonia madagascariensis from extinction. But the point is, activists need to think of fresh ideas to save weird-looking animals from extinction.

Won't you please help?

Read counterpoint here.

Tags: Aye Aye - Daubentonia madagascariensis - Scarlet Johanson - Endangered animals

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As someone whose main mode of transportation is a bicycle and a bus, I'd like to give to give a quick "Amen" to a great essay by Tanya of the blog Crazy Biker Chick:

Things a non-cyclist might not understand

I ride my bike year-round as my main means of transportation. My bike is not a toy. I don't aspire to be Lance Armstrong. I'm not too poor to afford a car. I choose a bicycle because its healthier for me, and healthier for the city I live in. I'm not riding in the middle of the lane to slow you down or thwart you. I'm just trying to do the same thing as you - get from point A to point B safely.

I ride in the middle of the lane if the lane is too narrow to share safely. This is actually a courtesy to you, because you don't have to guess how wide your vehicle is versus how much space is available, and decide if you have to change lanes or not. If the lane next to you is wide open, it really isn't necessary to blast your horn or yell things out your window. Maybe you think there's room for me to be riding in the gutter, but I really have a better view of the pavement there than you do. There's debris there that will flatten my tires, and potholes that can break my bones. If I need to swerve to avoid some garbage someone threw out their car window, I need room to maneuver. Its not going to make either of our days if we collide.

AMEN!!!

Crazy Biker Chick is now in my favorites list.

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