92/365 (April 2, 2010) – We watched The Age of Stupid last night, and it was a bit of a jolt. We try hard to reduce our impact wherever we can, but it’s pretty obvious from this documentary that the majority don’t. Worth a watch, maybe you’ll change some little thing.
I can’t fathom why the governments don’t get behind and reduce taxes on clean energy. Why make it more expensive and harder to go green. It’s obvious why, it doesn’t line the wallets of the big businesses. People pay lip service to clean energy, but when push comes to shove, if there is an inconvenience involved, they balk.
I just love how everyone seems to want wind energy, but no one wants it in their backyard. So apparently it is preferable to continue polluting rather than mar the view with a wind tower. That view might not last if we don’t try to reduce our impact.
Case in point, big heavy vehicles in the city. The vast majority of SUVs and heavy trucks never see the off-road. They are confined to the city and never leave pavement. And I’ve had conversations with friends who have said they drive them because they feel safer in them. They’d never drive a small car for fear of an accident. We drive a truck, but for around town I drive a scooter. The truck is useful for when we need to haul things to and from the boat, for tools, for large loads of whatever on a rainy day. The rest of the time, for close runs within the city, the scooter works fabulously and uses a lot less fuel and generates a lot less in the emission department. And what’s frustrating to me is the fact that Vancouver doesn’t get behind two-wheeled transportation. Bicycles, yes, scooters, no.
When I was getting rid of my SUV I wanted to put it into the Scrap-it Program. But while they would give me credit towards a bicycle, another car, or even another light truck, they wouldn’t give any credit for a scooter. How dumb is that? The SUV used about $60 a week in fuel. The scooter uses about $3. And what do you think the difference in emissions is? Lots.
I think heavier, less fuel efficient vehicles, including the truck we just bought, should be taxed higher. I think we still pay too little for gas in North America. If these things cost more, perhaps we will think a little more about how we use them and the things we do. Maybe we would combine more things into single trips, and be a bit less wasteful. I think we all over-consume. Yes, it would mean life might be a bit more inconvenient, but maybe we’ve all become a little to hooked on convenience.
So, the scooter is my little bit, and it’s just too much fun to drive too!
Tags: 365, climate change, photo a day, Photography, scooter, The Age of Stupid, The Environment