I have always organized my life around a pre-fossil fuel human scale. I live in cities whenever possible as all other environs in most of America are geared to auto ownership.
I'm currently stuck in a quaint, upscale metro Boston suburb and haven't felt so isolated in decades. What with the exceptionally poor quality of public transportation, I may as well be in the North Pole.
This will improve with the end of winter as I do have a bicycle and am looking for some workable initial living space in town to resume life there.
To me, the advantages of a carless life greatly outweigh the transient inconveniences. For example, there are a suite of expenses from insurance, car loan payments, fuel and repair costs and depreciation that do not impact me at all. Then I also lose stress from attempting to drive around the area's horribly congested roadways.
It might surprise you to know how many friends I have who also opt for no car or minimal use of the things. And yet they all live fairly productive lives and will be well equipped to handle any challenges ahead as the oil era winds down.
There are a growing number of game plans to shift away from oil but none offer the elegance of simply abandoning personal motor vehicles until some significant oil less mode takes hold. The biodeisel option may not work to produce the real quantities of fuel needed to run the planetary vehicle fleet without causing even more catastrophic problems.
The utter configuration of land use patterns, such as vast car dependent suburbs may well be one of the biggest dislocation hazards staring at us if the Oil era tanks.
More efficient public transit infrastructure will eventually salvage environs like the droll little suburb that now houses me but the real remote places will be left in the lurch.
I am in complete agreement. Though I do have a small, economy car, I rarely use it as I would much rather walk everywhere anyway.
ReplyDeleteIn the next decade, policy and politics must catch up with technology and innovation to curb our fuel usage.
Good luck in Boston! Though you don't have a car, I hope you have a shovel :)
www.citizenboo.com
Hi there gifted Ms Boo. If you have a chance or haven't already read it, Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan is a great resource for understanding the stuff of our world.
ReplyDeleteEach new transformational gizmo amputates some original body aspect we have. The Minutemen made a song of this, 'The Wheel is an Extension of the Foot'.
And so the key thing is to be mindful of these transforming amputations in order that we may use the gizmo's skillfully before they end up using us up.
Hello again~
ReplyDeleteI will certainly check out that book. The ethics of technology is a subject too rarely discussed: what does this piece of metal/plastic DO; what should it NOT do; what is the intention vs. the impact; and so on.
This also comes down to smart and informed consumerism. Too often, especially in American, the culture of consumption for the sake of consumption in and of itself breeds disaster not only on the environment, but on our society, our culture, and our individuality.
Cheers~
I've been to Boston, and I understand completely. I was never so happy that someone else was driving in my life. And I'm usually an antsy passenger. You're right that rural folks will have a tough time, since all the jobs are in the city. This will be an interesting century for sure.
ReplyDelete