Last night Jim and I watched Who Killed the Electric Car? What an interesting and upsetting movie. It seems unthinkable that a functional, greener technology was systematically rounded up and destroyed. It seems big oil has its tentacles in so many places. That having been said, I liked the way the movie showed everyone's culpability. Its a must see. (BTW, so is Supersize Me, although I can't seem to link into the official website anymore???)
My personal reliance on cars really bugs me. It gives me the itch to move to a place that's designed for pedestrian living. A place where things aren't sprawled far and wide. At the same time, I have no use for the high cost and affluence (or perception of affluence) of NYC. The wheels in my head are turning...
I forgot to mention, I did do some "cooking" in NYC. I made a variation on the Date Nut Pop'ems. They are so easy to make. Its a no bake recipe which was perfect to make in our tiny hotel room. Its not a very exact recipe but here it is:
about 1 cup cashew nut butter (I used unsalted)
about 6 - 8 date rolls (these are the dates that are already pitted and rolled in coconut, you find them at natural food stores)
about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)
Put the cashew butter and the date rolls in a bowl and let them sit at room temp for about 15 minutes. Then mash them together, I used a fork for this. Once they are well combined pour in the chocolate chips, mix together and shape into a log. Break off pieces and roll into balls. Place these in the fridge and serve cold.
We ate these in the hotel and on the train ride home. Yum!! I also had enough to give to my family when they met me at the train station. It was the best souvenir a mom could bring home!
***UPDATE***
In my opinion the links section of the Who Killed the Electric Car website was a little challenging to find. To help rectify that, I linked directly to it above and here are a few of the links to get you started.
Plug-In Partners
Plug In America
Inform
8 comments:
That's one of the things I love about Portland. Super veg friendly, great public transit, support for bicycle commuting, and a lot of neighborhoods to shop in.
For instance, where I live, I have two large health food stores (New Seasons) within easy biking distance, Trader Joes a block away from the bus line, and a Flexcar 4 blocks away if I needed a car.Three bus lines run past my apartment (within 1 block).
It's great. :)
Barbara
I think many major cities--at least ones with real city centers--could allow you to rely on a car less, even if you still needed to do Flexcar for some transportation. We certainly have friends here in Atlanta who live in Midtown (and nearby areas) and go carless.
Katie ~
Russell and I are both very into the no-car movement, but dang it's hard! So many little things always getting in the way. Maybe you'd enjoy EarthHomeGarden.blogspot.com a very cool carfree couple. :-)
When we move to Houston, I am buying an electric scooter to use as my primary mode of transport, which will work until we have kids... hmmmm....
When the kids were small we had this tow behind the bike contraption that fit two kids as long as their combined weight was under 100lbs. It was such a cool way to get around with small kids. I wonder if there is a scooter equivalent?
Hi. I recently moved to Albuquerque, NM from Flagstaff, AZ and ABQ has an excellent and safe public transportation system that literally takes you anywhere. I live practically out in the suburbs and the closest stop for me is within 1 block and has 3 lines. They have natural gas and electric/diesel buses intead of totally relying on gasoline powered vehicles. Flagstaff has only gas powered buses and the bus system is limited. Where I used to live there, it was 7/10th of a mile to the closest bus stop. That is not good for a small, but growing city. It would be nice if we had a Flexcar here. ABQ has a car culture unfortunately. (I won't take a bicycle here unless it is 2 blocks away on a lightly traveled area). It is very easy here with the amount of traffic for drivers who drive way too fast in the first place to take their attention off their driving and plow into you on your bike and you end up dead.(ABQ is the home of Al Unser, the race car driver and a lot of drivers think they are him and drive in BIG trucks, SUVS, Hummers, and other gas hogs FAST). I did 6 yrs ago have a 50cc scooter. Really sorry I sold it for a motorcycle. Now I have neither. I did have a electric scooter that looked like a gas powered one. Only drawback: if you live in a hilly area, it will not climb even the smallest inclines and the pedals they have are useless. Plus you learn to coast as much as you can on any decline. It would generate power for the battery. Depending too much on the battery and you'll be walking the scooter home. Otherwise, if you live in a flat area, it's great!
Minneapolis also has a great public transportation system but I believe ABQ has them beat. In the summer months, the Rapid Ride runs until 3AM.
Very interesting Susan.
they did a great job with that documentary, yay for progress!
Some similarities between the oil industry and the tobacco industry: They both exploit people's addictions (nicotine in tobacco, the convenience of gas). Also, both industries have stifled better alternatives (not smoking is healthier than smoking, not using gas pollutes less). People have successfully resisted tobacco companies...
Those are great observations. Now if only more people recognized this...
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