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Car Busters - Conference | 8 Jan 2003 18:20

Intro of Marie

Hi!
My name is Marie Luhanova and I live in Prague. 
I've been chosen to be one of the conference co-ordinators. I should 
be mainly looking after the facilities, supplies and logistics. 
I've started working with Car Busters this week and since that I've 
been going through the correspondence on the listserve to get 
involved and updated, also arrranging the meeting with the Czech 
NGOs that would like to take part in the conference on "the public 
day". 
Before that I was working in the office of Youth and Environment 
Europe (YEE) www.ecn.cz/yee organisation gathering over fifty 
regional and national self governing youth organisation involved in 
the study and conservation of nature and environment throughout 
Europe. Together with YEE member organisations I co-ordinated 
several international conferences. One of those called "Green Cities" 
was held in Prague in 2000 at the place where the YEE office is 
located-at Eco-Centre Toulcuv Dvur (TD).
As I'm familiar with the place and people working at TD(where 
Towards Car-free Cities III is being held) it's me who's happy to 
answer your questions regarding technical equipment that you need 
for your lecturers and presentations, about the accommodations, 
location etc. Also I can help with looking for accommadion out of TD.
Those of you, who need an invitation letter to get to the Czech 
republic, can turn to me, as well.
All from me now, looking forward to you discussions and finally 
meeting you in Prague!
Marie 
____________________________________________

CAR BUSTERS
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gabbyherm | 13 Jan 2003 18:31
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an introduction

Hi All,
My name is Gabrielle Hermann and I am getting a M.A in Urban and 
Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University in Boston. I 
am very much looking forward to this conference!

Gabrielle
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CEB | 14 Jan 2003 20:14
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Re: [carfree_conf3] an introduction

Hi Gabbicko,

This is Todd, I live in Prague, I am legally American but that was 
just a visit, and a long story...anyway, what would be great is if 
you and other participants bring samples of things like local bike 
maps and other literature related to sustainable and non-motorized 
transport, including info on education programs, from their 
hometowns, villages, caves and monesteries..the use would be at least 
three-fold: 1)To show at the conference and public day 2)to add to 
Car Busters library and 3)to be used in a library that my 
organisation, Cyklistika a energie budoucnosti, is going to try to 
set up later this year (I should know by mid-February if it is going 
to happen).

See you...dekujeme vam

Todd
www.cyklopraha.cz

Non-scientific poll: I told Car Busters that I thought it was 
essential that cigarette smoking not be a part of the conference on 
the public day. In my view it was not simply an issue of smoking in 
or out of doors, but that on a public day, when children and youth in 
particular may be present, any smoking by conference participants 
sends out a confusing message about environmentalism and clean 
air...in my view peer pressure and role models are far more effective 
in getting people to smoke, or not to smoke, than advertising..what 
do people think?
______________________________________________________________
> Od: "gabbyherm <gabbyherm@...>" <gabbyherm <at> yahoo.com>
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Jason Kirkpatrick | 14 Jan 2003 20:35

Re: [carfree_conf3] an introduction

I would also prefer smokefree environments.

Every politician I have ever heard of that takes money from Tobacco
companies seems to be rather pro-auto, anti-cycle.
I don't see how smoking or tobacco corporations support the car-free
movement in any fashion. I prefer to avoid support
of them. (...though I wouldn't say I am vice-free) :-)

Jason Kirkpatrick
conference staff
arriving in Prague next week

----- Original Message -----
From: CEB <cyklopraha@...>
To: <carfree_conf3@...>
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: [carfree_conf3] an introduction

> Hi Gabbicko,
>
> This is Todd, I live in Prague, I am legally American but that was
> just a visit, and a long story...anyway, what would be great is if
> you and other participants bring samples of things like local bike
> maps and other literature related to sustainable and non-motorized
> transport, including info on education programs, from their
> hometowns, villages, caves and monesteries..the use would be at least
> three-fold: 1)To show at the conference and public day 2)to add to
> Car Busters library and 3)to be used in a library that my
> organisation, Cyklistika a energie budoucnosti, is going to try to
> set up later this year (I should know by mid-February if it is going
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J.H. Crawford | 14 Jan 2003 22:12
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Smoking


Hi All,

I'd prefer that not only the public day but the entire
conference be smoke-free. People can go outdoor to smoke
if they feel they need to.

I don't want to be a fascist about this, but on the other
hand I don't want to be breathing other people's smoke.

Regards,

Joel

-- ### --

J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... Carfree.com
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Car Busters - Conference | 14 Jan 2003 22:32

Update II from Prague

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to give everyone a Happy New Year and an update on 
the conference organising...and hopefully at the same time 
encourage some discussion here.

As you know, Marie started work here on Monday last week. Since 
then she's been:
(a.) arranging a local meeting (to be on Jan. 23) with transport NGOs 
and activists, to see how they can assist with, benefit from, and 
contribute ideas to the conference;
(b.) setting up the Car Busters Spring Equinox Benefit Concert / 
Closing Party, which will be held on the Friday evening at the end of 
the conference, with an excellent local Czech/Balkan folk band at a 
traditional Czech beer hall below the Prague Castle;
(c.) answering your questions and confirming your registrations; and
(d.) confirming the hotel arrangements of those who requested them.

As for me, I've been doing outreach to find conference participants, 
confirming our plans for the public day (Tues., March 18) at the Kino 
Aero, communicating with presenters, fundraising, updating the 
website, and working on the programme, among other things. I've 
communicated with Iva Pocock of an eco co-housing development 
near Dublin, Ireland. She's interested in coming to the conference, 
giving a presentation, and participating in discussions about how car-
free cities could be financed and built. Still waiting to hear from Helen 
at Undercurrents about the video training, and have looked into other 
potential trainers as well. By the way, who's interested in learning 
video camera skills at the conference?
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Gabrielle Hermann | 14 Jan 2003 23:26
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Re: [carfree_conf3] Update II from Prague


Car Busters - Conference <info@...> wrote:
At this point it would be great to hear from everyone to hear what 
you'd like to get out of this conference. 

--> Since I am a graduate student at a U.S university (TUfts) where everyone talks about sustainable
development, but still drives their car 2 miles when they could use public transportation, walk, or bike,
I am just yearning to meet people who take this issue seriously and are actually doing something about it.
From what I can tell, the U.S is so far behind, well, just about industrialized nation, but especially
Europe, in trying to institute policies that reduce car use and encourage public transit and
nonmotorized transportation. I want to use this conference to learn about what other
cities/politicians/activists are doing to challenge car dominance. I would be satisfied if I left this
conference knowing that we had come up with some practical strategies and that all of us conference
participants were supporting eachother to implement those strategies in our respective countries. 

Gabrielle

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - Gandhi

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CEB | 15 Jan 2003 01:21
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Re: Worse in the US than anywhere/smoking thing

Hi again,

In regards to Gabrielle's comments on the US being worse than 
everywhere, to me it seems it is not really the case. Sure, its has 
the most cars per capita (?), biggest health problems etc. BUT there 
seems to be more happening in regards to national legislation to fund 
for example, cycling projects, the groups themselves are better 
organised, the corporate sector helps more...of course I suppose more 
help is needed. Here in the Czech Republic, many of the smaller 
cities and larger towns have better programs than Prague, and 
politicians willing to take a stand for environmental things, etc. In 
both the US and here, the national governments issue directives and 
offer support and money, but individual localities don't always take 
them up on this offer.

In regards to the smoking thing, I have to be frank and say that in 
certain contexts the "smoking outside" thing is not enough and it 
seems that both respondants to my message don't get my meaning. Of 
course no smoking will be allowed inside Toulcuv Dvur, so people will 
go outside. This place is not very public, but I think people from 
the neighborhood still visit to buy organic food, etc....so, again, I 
wonder if people think that ANY smoking near ANY conference locations 
or venues sends out a message that people do not want to send out. 
Sadly, people have to excuse themselves for seeming like a fascist 
when they suggest that people dont use a substance possibly more 
addictive then heroin and which kills thousands passively. Well, now 
I am feeling that this is veering off-topic so I will stop.

Thanks, 
Todd
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little green riding hood | 15 Jan 2003 10:27
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Re: [carfree_conf3] Smoking


I'm a smoker and i agree with every suggestion that has been put forward so far re: smoke Free env. I certainly
don't think there should be any indoor smoking.
"J.H. Crawford" <mailbox@...> wrote:
Hi All,

I'd prefer that not only the public day but the entire
conference be smoke-free. People can go outdoor to smoke
if they feel they need to.

I don't want to be a fascist about this, but on the other
hand I don't want to be breathing other people's smoke.

Regards,

Joel

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J.H. Crawford Carfree Cities
mailbox@... Carfree.com

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little green riding hood | 15 Jan 2003 13:43
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intros again??!!


Cathie Here,

Greetings all. Taking up Randy’s baton… here goes. I’m 23 in a few days, mostly Irish. I lived, until very
recently, in Dublin, I now eat and sleep in North Wexford (south of Dublin). I still work full time in Dublin
and commuting is a 4 hour event all round, thanks to our state-of-the-art transport shitsym, so I’m quite
limited in what I can get up to outside the office. So, like many I know, who would rather be, I couldn’t
honestly say I’m *very* active in transport issues, though I hope to become increasingly so. I was
greatly involved in organising the last two street parties in Dublin (May Day and Car Free Day) but am very
keen to explore other meansof achieving change. Though I really feel they have a significant role to play,
I want to do more and I just didn’t know where to begin – hence my stumbling upon the carbusters website,
the rest is histoire. I am endeavouring to find out as much as I can of what’s going on here before the
conference and hope to learn a great deal and contribute what I can in Prague.On that note by the way, I
(tragically) didn’t receive any suggestions or responses to my request for recommended reading...

Randy pretty much articulated what I hope to see come about as a result of the conference, I’d especially
like to see some new projects kicking off,particularly here in Ireland, which seems sometimes to be so far
behind everyone else.

My two cents worth on the smoking issue: As I mentioned before I’m a smoker myself, which is a huge
contradiction on a lot of levels, but eventuallyI’m sure I’ll shake that particular monkey off my back
(no disrespect to monkeys). In the meantime though, I have no desire to breath my filthy air next, nigh or
near conference participants, attendants or the general public (anyone in short) most particularly
children. And yes aside from the health risk to others, which is reduced by puffing outside, I totally
agree with the point about setting an example and will happily take my shameful habit elsewhere (go for a
walk) if I really must have one. I think it would be a good policy to have. I think such (wet) blanket
"fascist" policies aresensible, indeed necessary. 

regards
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Gmane