"I first visited the country more than three decades ago, when my dad
was America's representative in Beijing," he said. "Poverty was
rampant, and the streets swarmed with bicycles. Today, China is
sprinting into the modern era. Beijing is covered in skyscrapers and
filled with cars.

And I guess he calls this progress...

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I agree! "Covered in skyscrapers and filled with cars" sounds like a
nightmare to me.

In my experience, I have found much greater happiness in traveling at
a human pace amidst buildings that are on a human scale.

Michelle

--- In CarFree <at> yahoogroups.com, "Cuthbert J. Twillie"
<jdsears669 <at> ...> wrote:
>
> "I first visited the country more than three decades ago, when my dad
> was America's representative in Beijing," he said. "Poverty was
> rampant, and the streets swarmed with bicycles. Today, China is
> sprinting into the modern era. Beijing is covered in skyscrapers and
> filled with cars.
>
> And I guess he calls this progress...
>

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Hello,

INTRODUCTORY PROFILE

1. Which of the following best describes you? Please check one.
XX_ I own a car but use other forms of transport frequently

2. How long have you been either car-free or used non-automotive
transport as your principle means of transportation?

since March 2008

3. What inspired your decision to reduce or end your reliance on the
automobile?

creation care Bible study

4. What factors have either impeded or inspired your decision to reduce your
reliance on automotive transport?

crazy drivers making driving stressful; wanting to reduce mileage on car to
increase longevity because don't want to have a car loan to pay

5. Has your transportational choices had any discernible effect on your
family and friends?

they just think this is a granola phase I'm going through and I'll act
normal soon enough in the future (in our town taking the bus is usually
taken as a sign that your car broke down or you can't drive or you can't
afford to own a car)

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being car-free and/or
getting around without using a car?

someone else deals with the discourteous drivers so I can sit back and relax
and read a book or listen to music or pray or just think

7. Do you typically feel comfortable recommending car-free living to your
friends and/or relatives? Why or why not?

yes, because it makes economic sense and it is one aspect of putting
creation care values to work

8. Have you experienced any adverse consequences of reducing or eliminating
your automotive dependency with regard to time and finances?

requires planning and extra time

9. Have there been any benefits?

Less stress, more time for me-time, less money spent

10. In an ideal world, what role should the car play in the general
transportation system?

Emergencies, urgencies, carpooling

11. Do you have any other personal or general thoughts you've care to share
on this topic?

Psyched to be involved in a positive movement that has economic,
environmental and social benefits.

12. Where do you live (city, state, country)?

El Paso, TX

Welcome Karen.

As someone from a "granola" area of northern California, I found your
comments ironic. People here have the same crazy attitudes toward busses as
your area does although everyone is up on recycling and eating organic. The
excuses people use for using private vehicles when they could take a bus or
ride a bike are often ludicrous.

The fact that your decision was apparently based in Christian spirituality
is heartwarming. I have encountered too many so-called "Christians" who see
no reason to care for the Earth because Jesus is going to save them. That
attitude certainly doesn't fit with my interpretation of his teachings!

So, welcome aboard.

Blessings, AnnaLisa

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At 11:51 PM 8/9/2008, Cuthbert J. Twillie wrote:

>"I first visited the country more than three decades ago, when my dad
>was America's representative in Beijing," he said. "Poverty was
>rampant, and the streets swarmed with bicycles. Today, China is
>sprinting into the modern era. Beijing is covered in skyscrapers and
>filled with cars.
>
>And I guess he calls this progress.

Breathe deep the gathering progress, Mr. President...

On 11 Aug 2008 at 12:55, AnnaLisa Wiley wrote:

> People here have the same crazy attitudes toward busses as
> your area does although everyone is up on recycling and eating organic.

It is a reasonably common attitude in many/most parts of the English
speaking world.

I also have my reservations about the fluffy animal brigade, many of
whom drive everywhere in large cars.

However, the third world charities have now got climate change. They
were slow to get it, but they are now working on it fully. The list of
members of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland includes many organisations
which would not have been there a decade ago
<http://www.stopclimatechaosscotland.org/aboutus_who.php>. This is good
as they have links to many places.

> The
> excuses people use for using private vehicles when they could take a bus or
> ride a bike are often ludicrous.

Of course a bike is a private vehicle. Aeroplanes are also mostly
public transport, but people tend to think they are in some way
different to buses or trains.

> I have encountered too many so-called "Christians" who see
> no reason to care for the Earth because Jesus is going to save them. That
> attitude certainly doesn't fit with my interpretation of his teachings!

They must be reading a different bible. However, I watched the
additional bits of the CD version of An Inconvenient Truth yesterday,
which includes an update on the issues which must be dated late 2006 or
early 2007. Amongst the updates Mr Gore made the point that many
Christian organisations had now understood global warming and were
communicating that fact to others.

It is bad, but it is not as bad as it might be.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents
me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10203282

| Campbell firm offers curbside recharging for plug-in vehicles
|
| Skyrocketing gas prices are pushing consumers to go with more
| fuel-efficient cars. But even electric and hybrid vehicles
| have their limits, and if they wander too far, drivers may
| find themselves powerless to get home.
|
| In anticipation of this, Coulomb Technologies recently
| announced the launch of smart-charging stations for plug-in
| vehicles.

=v= For years we've been promised that PHEVs (and EVs before
them) would be recharged at night, off-peak, from idle capacity,
and would therefore not result in greater energy use or more
emissions. And for years I've personally observed that owners
of these vehicles don't abide by that.

=v= Now we've got a business plan based on the convenience of
recharging during peak hours.

=v= But don't worry, green and ecological concerns haven't been
fully forgotten. They're actually mentioned in the next-to-last
paragraph. Feel the Earth heal!
<_Jym_>

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(tired, cynical sigh...)

I could see this kind of thing coming as soon as electrocars were hit
on as the next "Green!!! (TM)" panacea for saving the Sacred Car
infrastructure while "saving the planet" (whatever that is really
supposed to mean). People are still in the early stages of Kubler-
Ross's process of dealing with stressful changes.

On 14-Aug-08, at 5:52 PM, Jym Dyer wrote:

> (...) =v= For years we've been promised that PHEVs (and EVs before
> them) would be recharged at night, off-peak, from idle capacity,
> and would therefore not result in greater energy use or more
> emissions. And for years I've personally observed that owners
> of these vehicles don't abide by that.
>
> =v= Now we've got a business plan based on the convenience of
> recharging during peak hours.
>
> =v= But don't worry, green and ecological concerns haven't been
> fully forgotten. They're actually mentioned in the next-to-last
> paragraph. Feel the Earth heal!
>

Christopher Miller
Montreal QC Canada

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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Hi everyone - This is my first post to the list, so I'm doing the
introduction thing below. It's nice to "meet" you all.

-Angela

1. Which of the following best describes you? Please check one.

I do not presently own a car though I have owned a car previously.

2. How long have you been either car-free or used non-automotive
transport as your principle means of transportation?

About 9 years, except for the fact my wife (then my girlfriend) had a
truck for maybe three of those years which was also mine for 6 months or
so after we got married and before the truck died.

3. What inspired your decision to reduce or end your reliance on the

automobile?

Originally, I went car free because I was moving to Boston and a car
seemed like to much of a hassle and too expensive. My wife and I went
car free again 4 years ago after her truck died. At the time we were
living temporarily in the suburbs, but we were really tired of looking
after a car. You can read more at
http://carfreewithkids.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-we-gave-up-our-car.html

4. What factors have either impeded or inspired your decision to reduce
your reliance on automotive transport?

There were things we had to give up when we gave up a car, but in return
we've really become a part of our local community. Everything we do is
local, and location is the number-one factor in deciding what we are
going to do. The fact that we can do everything want locally (within 1-2
miles generally) and that we feel so much closer to our community has
really been inspirational and sustaining.

5. Has your transportational choices had any discernible effect on your
family and friends?

As I said above, we really focus on doing things that are close by. Most
of our friends are within walking distance (and honestly we very rarely
see those that are further away).

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being car-free and/or
getting around without using a car?

Advantages: getting exercise walking/biking, getting to be outside even
in the winter, knowing our neighbors and our neighborhood, limiting our
choices so that we don't get overwhelmed. Disadvantages: We don't do
things that are far away, and sometimes we miss them. We have to be
outside, even in the winter.

7. Do you typically feel comfortable recommending car-free living to
your friends and/or relatives? Why or why not?

Yes, to people that live in an urban area. For others it is very
challenging.

8. Have you experienced any adverse consequences of reducing or
eliminating your automotive dependency with regard to time and finances?

No - being without a car is cheaper (cheap enough to allow us to afford
to live in the city), and generally doesn't take more time for our daily
commutes (in fact it takes less). Getting some places does take more
time, but you get used to long subway rides (and frankly we just don't
go to places that are far away).

9. Have there been any benefits?

Loads of benefits. For a start, look at a post we made here:
http://carfreewithkids.blogspot.com/2008/07/surprising-benefits-from-bei
ng-car-free.html

10. In an ideal world, what role should the car play in the general
transportation system?

Personally, I'd rather that we get them out of our cities and towns and
used them only for long-distance transportation. And I'd like to see
most of that long-distance transportation be shared (e.g. buses, trains)

11. Do you have any other personal or general thoughts you've care to
share on this topic?

We have a toddler (2yo), and we are really interested in connecting with
other families with kids that are car-free or car-light to share ideas
and build a community.

12. Where do you live (city, state, country)?

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

--

Angela Vierling-Claassen

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Lesley University

Mailing Address:29 Everett St., Cambridge, MA 02138-2790

Office Address: University Hall 2-132

http://carfreewithkids.blogspot.com
<http://carfreewithkids.blogspot.com/>

http://divisionoflabor.blogspot.com
<http://divisionoflabor.blogspot.com/>

http://mail.lesley.edu/faculty/ftvierli/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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