[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by Industry_Hack

I think that having a lot of kids, or living in a really large home, is bad for the environment.

My wife and I do not have any kids. We have a modest single story home that is only 1504 sq. feet. This inlcudes the main floor and the basement. We have had it insulated and had a new heating/cooling system installed a few years ago. We are now working on replacing windows and doors to energy efficient ones. We have old growth oak hardwood floors with area rugs in 90% of the main floor. Linoleum tile in 5% and wall to wall carpet in only one room of the main floor. Thus reducing the need to operate an electical vacuum cleaner all the time.

[Industry_Hack]

Originally Posted by Freemason Cyclist

Not live off the land. But if my wife and I can reduce the use of the Jeep or ANY motor vehicle we may own in the future, no matter how good the fuel mileage, yes we would sell it and go car free. I do not car if the car got 100 mpg. If we could reduce the use enough we would sell the vehicle.

How about you?

I don't own a Jeep. But I will be double the size of my garden this year, and coordinating our planting with my neighbors so we don't all end up with so much squash and zucchini.

Cars are not inherently evil, and it's foolish to think that this country would ever survive without them. It's the irresponsible use of them that's the problem. An SUV was never designed to be a single passenger vehicle, but that's how they're used quite a bit. Carpooling, ride sharing, and city planning can make a much bigger impact than complaining on the internet.

[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by fleeter

but what about the entire shipping and trucking trade?

I don't know but bet you can find the answers somewhere in this list of resources here:
Car Free Movement by Cycle America
Travel with Bicycles (Home)
Amazon.com: Cycling for Profit: How to Make a Living With Your Bike (Cycling Resources Series) (9781892495129): Jim Gregory: Books
National Bicycle GreenwNational Bicycle Greenway in action
The Carfree Census Database
Carfree Cities
Carbusters
De Clarke's Transportation Alternatives Page
Book - John Urry, Kingsley Dennis, John Urry - After the Car
National Bicycle GreenwNational Bicycle Greenway in action

[Industry_Hack]

China has more bicycles than cars, and they're doing great...


[edit]

1.3 billion Chinese
Between 10 and 27 million cars
Approximately 800 million bicycles.

How's that working for them?

[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by Industry_Hack

I don't own a Jeep. But I will be double the size of my garden this year, and coordinating our planting with my neighbors so we don't all end up with so much squash and zucchini.

Cars are not inherently evil, and it's foolish to think that this country would ever survive without them. It's the irresponsible use of them that's the problem. An SUV was never designed to be a single passenger vehicle, but that's how they're used quite a bit. Carpooling, ride sharing, and city planning can make a much bigger impact than complaining on the internet.

I don't know if we are going to try and grow a garden this year or not. In past years we have not had much luck with a decent yield from the garden. We have tried a garden in the back yard and what is called a container garden on our patio. The dog ruined much of the container garden befroe we put a fence around it. Other critters ruined much of the garden in the yard. Having a dog helps control that. I lost count of how many rabbits she trapped and killed who were trying to get into the garden. The garden in the yard was out of the dogs reach, but she was able to get the rabbits if they were within reach. The birds are a differant story.

The patio container garden kept the other critters away but not the dog. This year we may try the container garden again and start by putting hte fence around it to keep the dog out. Maybe we'll get a good yield.

T

[hophead]

Cars don't suck, and they are not going away. The internal combustion engine is another story. They are inefficent and out dated. You can make them smaller and strangle them with emission controls but it's still century old technology.

I'm actually a wee bit excited about where the automobile is heading. With the advances made in high capacity Lithium Ion batteries, it may not be long before electric cars dominate American roadways. There are already models that get over 100 miles on an overnight charge which costs less than a gallon of gasoline. Power off the grid can be very clean depending on how it is generated eg. nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, etc....

I love bikes, but they will never replace the automobile in the US.

[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by Industry_Hack

Cars are not inherently evil, and it's foolish to think that this country would ever survive without them. It's the irresponsible use of them that's the problem. An SUV was never designed to be a single passenger vehicle, but that's how they're used quite a bit. Carpooling, ride sharing, and city planning can make a much bigger impact than complaining on the internet.

We can't survive with out them? Really? Then how did we ever manage to survive, just fine, mind you, before they were invented for the first 200+ years we were a country?

[SUX VR40 Rider]

In regards to car pooling, ride sharing, etc. would IH or anyone else agreed to enforced requirment, even as far as passing a law that makes people utilize such things? Because you know as well as I do this is the only way it would happen. Sure there are ride sharing and car pooling programs but people are not required to use them, even when they should.

Kind of goes along with the old adage that you can lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink.

[fleeter]

Originally Posted by Freemason Cyclist

We can't survive with out them? Really? Then how did we ever manage to survive, just fine, mind you, before they were invented for the first 200+ years we were a country?

do you also want to subscribe to the same living standards?

[SUX VR40 Rider]

Originally Posted by fleeter

do you also want to subscribe to the same living standards?

Depends on what you mean by living standards. There would have to be certian mandatory exceptions.