Hey Keith, I spent several months after high school, in the 70s, in Europe with a backpack. Travel was all by train and foot. It wasn't too much of a departure from the culture in which I was raised, but enough to raise my awareness that not everyone in the world lived or thought the way that I do. Since that time, visiting other lands/cultures and watching people has been my favorite activity. In my current situation, it is not done slowly the way that I did as a teenager. I am able to stretch things to have 11 or 12 days at a time, not 3 or 4 months. I therefore wouldn't be able to travel if I didn't fly to where I want to go and then slow down from there. I don't do luxury hotels and such, though. One thing that I learned in Europe is that if you want to have any inkling of an idea of the people whose land you are visiting, you need to stay where they stay. I also don't find any people that I enjoy traveling with or learn much from at the local 5 star hotel. I could afford it if that was what I wanted, but I just find a lot more life in the lower rent districts. I guess that life is what I'm looking for.
Brian --- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Brian, Tim and all > > >Tim, > > > >I couldn't agree more on the need to drive more sanely, with a good > >portion of that being to conserve. If you come to Indiana, you'll > >recognize me as the other guy not exceeding the speed limit. I > >haven't had the luck that you have with staying in the right lane, > >but I figure that when folks get irritated with me being so slow, > >it's their problem not mine. > > > >I wasn't aware of air travel being so fuel costly. I guess I always > >thought that since so many people were moving at once, it made up > >for the large amounts of fuel used to move them. Part of what I > >enjoy in life is to visit other parts of the world and try to get a > >look at how others live their lives. To give up air travel > >completely would mean giving up one of the few things I truly enjoy, > >as well as something that changes the way that I view the world, > >hopefully for the better. Personally, I think that if more > >Americans took advantage of the opportunity to see that we aren't > >the only culture on the planet, the world would be a much better > >place. > > I'm sure you're right about that, but I'm sure it applies to > everybody, not just Americans. But especially to Americans? Well, yes > or no, I won't argue about that. The trouble is that air travel at > current levels with current practices isn't very sustainable, the > "externalisations" are horrendous. The externalisations of the > tourist industry are also horrendous. The local externalisations of > just a single airport are horrendous (there's something in the > archives about that). I guess the WW2 British slogan "Is your journey > really necessary?" applies, or should do, and the answer a lot of the > time has to be "No", whether it's a business trip or a package > holiday. For a family visit like Kim's, family visits are necessary > and good, and the time restrictions are real enough, but I don't > think it'd be like that if air-travel wasn't just assumed and > automatically factored in by the powers-that-be who calculate how > much "free" time we're to be granted. As for "holidays": > > "The average 15,000 cubic metres of water needed to irrigate one > hectare of high-yielding modern rice is enough for 100 nomads and 450 > cattle for three years, or 100 rural families for three years, or 100 > urban families for two years. The same amount can supply 100 luxury > hotel guests for just 55 days." (UN Food and Agriculture Organization > -- FAO.) Tip of the iceberg. > > It's arguable whether many tourist holidays do anything to broaden > the mind. They're just another consumable these days, but it didn't > used to be that way, and that wasn't very long ago. People used to > travel from Hong Kong to Britain and back by flying boat if they were > in a hurry. It took a few days, but nobody complained. (Ah, but the > pace of life is faster now - is it really? Not just a delusion?) When > they weren't in such a hurry they went by ship. They used to travel > from South Africa or Australia to Britain and Europe by ocean liner. > Now there are no such ships, just cruise-liners, another consumable. > > Tim mentioned US subsisides for air-travel as opposed to trains (18 > times), and there's no good reason that trains should be a poor > cousin. Not for goods transport either - I agree with Todd about > airfreight. In Europe (and China) huge amounts of goods go by canal, > it doesn't seem to render their economies uncompetitive, not > everything has to be there yesterday. The system's rigged all wrong > where what must be large amounts of non-urgent goods go by air > anyway. As for people, I had a friend who said jet-lag was a myth, > that's not what happened at all she said. "My body might go by jet, > but my spirit goes by train, and it takes a whole week to catch up. I > think I'll stay with my spirit and take the train." Which in her case > happened to be the Trans-Siberian Express. I think she's right, but > I'd take it further - air-travel is a myth. You can't travel on a > Boeing - you might be going somewhere but any travelling you might > get to do won't start until after you arrive, if you're in any > condition for it. How can an airborne cattle-truck with no leg- room > compare with the Trans-Siberian Express? Or an ocean liner? I like > flying, if it's in a Cessna or something, but Boeings remind me of > those old-fashioned office communications systems powered by > compressed air - you get shoved into a capsule and stuck in a pipe, > there's a whooshing sound and then you're spat out the other end all > crumpled up. What fun. The transportation used to be an integral part > of your travelling adventures, now we've cashed that bit in for a bit > of "saved" time while the planet takes heavy damage for it. > > So what to do? Something, surely. What's wrong with flying boats > anyway? You and Tim do slow driving, we have slow food, a good > movement growing not slowly, here in Japan we've helped start a "slow > fuel" movement with biodiesel (it translates better in Japanese, > loses the potential "less power" implication), why not slow travel? > The steam clubs pay lots of money to ride on steam trains in India, > and I think in China and elsewhere. Anybody got a spare Yankee > Clipper or a Catalina maybe? > > What you say about travel broadening the mind though... I read a > futuristic novel long ago which had some such thing as a minor theme. > Everybody spent a year or two or more travelling, it was more or less > compulsory but didn't need any enforcing, everyone accepted it, and > there was a good infrastructure for it, worldwide. Such an > infrastructure wouldn't cost much, even if most of it were free, > which I think it was - fares, hostels and so on. This was between > school and college, or maybe between college and starting working > life, and it was based on backpacking. Nobody flew anywhere, all > surface stuff, and no hurry. A lot of people do that now, since the > 60s especially, but it's small-scale and not very "serious" because > they're cheapos, not something the industry can climb aboard. I did > it, at the end of the sixties, if for different reasons (I got > arrested and had to flee), very important part of my life, and > actually I never really stopped after that. When I fled I flew, I was > definitely in a hurry, but not after that, trains and boats and > buses, and boots, and thumb. Travelling, yeah. Flying? Naah. I only > do it now if I don't have a choice. There's not nearly enough choice. > > Best wishes > > Keith > > > >Brian > > > >--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi Lyle, > > > > > > What I am saying is that it is socially irresponsible to promote > > > biofuels without at least an equal effort to promote a SIGNIFICANT > > > reduction in consumption on the order of 1/5th the current amount, > > > BY ALL OF US. > > > > > > For example, Jet Air Travel. I am amazed at the number of so- > >called > > > environmentalists that refuse to give up this particular bad > >habit. > > > Here we have an industry subsidized with over 18 times the amount > > > allowed for super efficient train travel. > > > > > > Average BTU consumed Per Passenger mile by mode of travel: > > > > > > SUV: 4,591 > > > Air: 4,123 > > > Bus: 3,729 > > > Car: 3,672 > > > Train: 2,138 > > > > > > Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics > > > http://199.79.179.77/publications/nts/index.html > > > > > > Another example, folks insist on racing from red light to red > >light > > > as fast as possible, and when on highways and freeways routinely > > > speed 20 to 30 mph above posted speed limits. The cops have given > >up > > > trying to enforce speed limits (a whole other rant) so the race is > > > on. Now everyone knows the faster one goes the more fuel is > > > consumed, yet bring up the idea of restoring the 55 MPH speed > >limit, > > > and enforcing existing speed limits, and watch the so-called > > > environmentalists scurry for cover like roaches when the lights > >come > > > on. > > > > > > This one simple measure could reduce consumption, emmissions & > > > reliance on imported oil 20% to 50%! Visit the Drive 55 > >Conservation > > > website to read several reports and articles in support of this > > > claim: http://drive55.org/pn/index.php > > > > > > > > > So, all that said, and seeing as you "fundamentally agree" with > > > my "conservation message" - what commitments are you prepared to > > > make to reduce your personal consumption of energy? > > > > > > I refuse to fly in jet airplanes now. I plan better and stick to > > > surface transportation. > > > > > > When I drive my 78 300D, I obey speed limits, rarely exceeding 55 > > > MPH. By staying in the right lane I have found this very easy as > > > that is the maximum for trucks here in California. Guess what, > > > McDonalds BRAGS about sticking to 55 MPH with stickers on their > > > trucks! > > > > > > I have replaced every light bulb in my home with 13 watt > > > flourescents and installed dual pane windows among the ongoing > > > efforts. > > > > > > I ride my bike whenever possible for most trips to the store, > >bank, > > > and other errands. I even take it on the light rail when I go > > > downtown. > > > > > > When I shop I pay close attention to the source of the products I > > > buy, and always choose locally produced goods if possible. > > > > > > I share this message with everyone I meet, along with the > > > information I have about cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, and other > > > types of biofuel as a PART of the equation. > > > > > > I will say this very plainly again now: It is socially > >irresponsible > > > to promote biofuels without AT LEAST an equal effort made to > >promote > > > conservation. The offense is compounded when someone claiming > > > concern for the environment refuses to acknowledge this in their > >own > > > life, and joins in the funding of petroleum warlords. > > > > > > Peace, > > > > > > Tim > > > > > > > > > --- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, Lyle Estill <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Tim, > > > > > > > > I fundamentally agree with your conservation message, and your > > > mantra > > > > of social responsibility and sustainability, > > > > but I think questioning feedstock capacities at this point is a > > > straw > > > > argument. > > > > > > > > Saying we can't grow enough to meet our fuel needs is a little > > > like > > > > saying we shouldn't make electricity from wind--after all, the > > > wind > > > > doesn't always blow. > > > > > > > > Lyle Estill > > > > V.P., Stuff > > > > Piedmont Biofuels > > > > www.biofuels.coop ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! 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