Ride a Bicycle!
I'm gland I came across this group. I'm a college student and have been working on a research paper and two presentations all about one subject. Riding a bike for daily transport instead of using so much gas that pollutes our ozone. My whole point for this topic is to get people to start living a more simple life and stop taking things for granted. People in the U.S. take water, gas, and just everything else for granted and its hurting our planet. My suggestion to you is to start cycling or walking for daily transportation because every time you step outside and start your car, you are hurting your respiratory system and this planet.
Hi SD, nice post! Couldn't agree with you more about the taking for granted issue. Have to confess we don't ride bikes much but we do grow a lot of our own veggies all watered with captured rainwater, bake our own bread and burn wood (sustainable) for heating. We use all natural resources sparingly and plan gas burning journeys carefully to reduce the number overall, our average weekly mileage is around 60 miles, a little over a gallon of diesel.
We're always going on at our 2 boys who are still living in the UK (we've lived in France for 12 years now), they think nothing of jumping in the car to go get milk or bread etc, doesn't seem a lot in isolation but when you multiply this by the millions of similar journeys made around the UK each day/week/month it really adds up!!
It's incumbent on us all to THINK more, actions do the damage but it's the lack of thought that leads to those actions. My pet hates are all the horrible cleaning products people use both around the home and on themselves each day, deodorants, perfumes, shampoos and conditioners, lotions and potions of all kinds. If they only knew what effects these things are having on themselves and the environment they would have a shock. So we are very much natural soap and water people and only as much as is needed to be reasonable clean and not too smelly. For example I've been wearing the same over clothes for the past 3 days, I'm ding some fairly dirty work so why dirty 3 lots of clothing? Of course would be even better to be doing it all naked but unfortunately it's simply too cold (7 deg C). If everyone around the world could be naked wherever possible just imagine how much detergent and water would be saved?
Keep up the good work SD and keep spreading the gospel, you've got a kindred disciples here for starters!!
Naked hugs, Paul x
Excellent post Paul. You are absolutely correct about the careless and mindless ways we go about our lives polluting. The extra car trips are a great example. I read an article somewhere about how many lb.s of pollutants are released by burning just 1 gallon of gas. It was a real eye opener. At the time I read that piece I was transporting my recyclables to a collection site due to no curbside pickup where I live. I thought I was doing a good thing while actually quite the contrary. Now I make sure I'm transporting that stuff when passing by the collection site rather than making a special trip to do so. In my house we too conserve, recycle, compost, and try to produce as much of what we consume as we can. I think this group makes sense for naturalists.
Ride a bike to and fro work is by far more than we think. I just made this calculation for myself. My way to work is 2.5 km whichI ride 4 times a day (in winter only 2 times). It's not a long way but it will add to 2000 km a year! While I live in the mountains this way is not flat. So there are 120 m in altitude to do. That adds to 95'000 m a year. O.K. the half is down hill so the way up is 47'500 m. In other words: climbing the Mount Everest 5.5 times a year! I don't know how much gasoline you need for that, but ride a bike keep you fit as well. Well I cannot talk green all the time, I also have to do it.
Great post SD. I too ride my bike whenecer and wherever i can, both clothed AND nude too. Also see my posts on the "Cleaner Living" thread. I am a firm believer in doing everything possible to reduce my footprint on the planet.
It would like to see others do the same, but alas, it's too "EASY" for the populas to jump in their cars or go to the store and buy whatever they want or need reguardless of what it does to the planet. It's "MY" belief that most people do not "Shiv-a-get" about their footprint.
Just "MY" opinion, but I could be wrong.
Paul Lortz