Eric wrote:
<snip> I guess that depends on your definition of sustainable. Many believe
that
buying organic cotton sheets, recycling their cans and glass, reusing
grocery bags and driving an energy efficient car is good enough. <snip>
And Gene wrote:
Arguably, our most unsustainable actions are how we transport ourselves.
Anything beyond walking is not sustainable and even walking is
problematical depending on footwear. And who among us will give up wheels?
-------------------------
Carol responds:
Energy efficient car. Well, we have a fifteen-year-old Volkswagen, which is
good in terms of fuel efficiency. But it's a van, which is not good in
terms of fuel efficiency. It has the aerodynamics of two bricks stacked one
on top of the other, but we try to compensate for lower mpg by using it very
thoughtfully. And it certainly gets better mileage than those sports
utility vehicles that are so popular nowadays.
I need the van because I am disabled. I have to lie down frequently, and
its fold-out queen-sized bed is a big improvement over lying in the bed of
the pickup truck we used to have. Also, it holds seven passengers plus
three large dogs; this was especially handy when we had three teenagers and
three Labrador Retrievers living with us. And now the van is handy for
carpooling on group outings with members of our church. Also, until my
assistance dog (Brodie) got injured in August, I was limiting my shopping
trips to a loop of my favorite stores once every two months. (Now I am
dependent on human volunteers to help me and I haven't been able to find one
who can devote a whole day to helping me shop.) Because I can fold down all
but the two front seats, I can cram a lot of cargo into the van, which is
very handy if you only shop six times a year. Also, it has allowed me to
acquire some real bargains at thrift stores and garage sales, where they
will not deliver the couch or bed or dining room table they sell you. And
because I was able to find absolutely wonderful used furniture, I wasn't
tempted to buy new stuff.
The van is our only vehicle besides my stepson's bike, though I would like
to acquire more bikes. We moved to our present house so my stepson would be
able to walk to school and to four different bus routes. My husband takes
the bus to the light rail, which stops a block from his workplace. This is
definitely not sustainable, though it is certainly better for the
environment than being a three-car household where everyone drives
everywhere they go.
I didn't come by this limited vehicle use naturally. When my parents had
four teenagers living at home, they were a five car family and they drove
everywhere. They all attended church every Sunday, for example, and instead
of walking the six blocks to church or even going to a service together in
one car, they attended services at different times and drove several
different cars to get there. I, meanwhile, was living in my own place and
driving my own car everywhere. We never gave a thought to the pollution we
were creating. We never realized we were creating it.
My husband was skeptical when I suggested we cut back to only one vehicle,
especially since it was his pickup truck I wanted to get rid of. But he
finally agreed and we've been a one vehicle family for years. It's usually
no hardship at all. He was already using public transportation to get to
work and both vehicles usually just sat unused in front of the house. It
will be interesting when he takes a three week trip in the van next summer,
but since I have plenty of advance warning it shouldn't be a problem. I
will go to church and the doctor in a LIFT van, the local transportation
system for people with disabilities.
I wish we could function with no vehicle at all (our own or those providing
public transportation), but I don't see a way to do it in our culture.
Plus, skipping my weekly doctor appointments in a city twelve miles away is
absolutely not an option at this time. And even if I stopped riding in
vehicles, the stuff I buy rides in them. Now that Brodie can't help me
shop, I'm buying more by catalog and shopping on the web, but the stuff gets
delivered by vehicle. And look at the tags and labels on the stuff you buy.
Probably very little of it comes from this continent. That's one reason I
shop in thrift stores; each item I buy used instead of new means one less
intercontinental trip.
I just don't see how we can have true sustainability as long as we are
burning fossil fuels for transportation. Even the Amish can't escape. The
Amish-crafted wooden spoon my husband bought yesterday did not arrive in
Portland, Oregon by horse-drawn buggy. It's a beautiful spoon, probably
crafted in a sustainable matter, but then it went on a cross-continental
trip leaving a trail of pollutants behind it. Some Amish family is a few
cents "richer" now, but they did their share to contribute to pollution by
selling the spoon and I did my share by asking my husband to get it for me.
I would have preferred something made locally, but haven't been able to find
locally made wooden spoons, and a wooden spoon was what I needed.
Carol (and Brodie)
