"Are you a republican? If the answer is yes then I understand your pain on this matter. "


Ahh. ANOTHER tolerant, liberal who believes that Republicans want to breathe polluted air and have the rivers catch fire. I think I'll cool off by swimming in Al Gore's indoor heated swimming pool: which costs only $1000 a month to heat. If only I could afford such a thing to help the environtment like this Nobel prize winner can. Talk about "An Inconvenient Truth"...

lol

Aw, don’t be so jealous. Maybe you can work out a method to harness these flammable rivers you speak of to power our motor vehicles and get your own Nobel peace prize! :)

That study by professor Ulrich of Wharton was based on the assumption that if a couch potato car commuter switched to cycle commuting they would get healthier and live longer. His analysis suggested they might save a little energy, but only a trivial amount in the big picture. But generally the switch to bike commuting, or going beyond that and living car free, involves more than just that one change, such as eventually moving closer to work, owning one less car and replacing it less often, etc. Furthermore, if the non-cyclist was keeping fit by going to the gym etc. before switching to bike commuting, then the longevity argument fails.

http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~ulric...viro-jul06.pdf

I do most things only because I get some enjoyment out of it or it makes sense to me.

1) I commute by bike because I like to
2) I have rain barrels because it easier than hauling out the hose
3) I have a small garden because my kids get a kick out of watching stuff grow
4) I've got a worm farm in my basement because............... well I have a worm farm in my basement.

Does it make me green? Only in my wallet.
I probably do more to "save the planet" than most even though I'm smart enough to know that in no way could I ever destroy the planet.

I vote conservative, republican. Al Gore and most Democrats are morons in my opinion.

That's kind of funny actually. Do fit people retire later in life and do retired people use as much or more energy than working people? I'm just curious if they took that into consideration. Do fit people and sedentary use the same amount of energy in general?

Probably the number one reason I commute by bicycle is because I like being self-reliant. Yeah, I like to save a little money. I like to save the miles on my car when I can. It happens that my bike is even faster than the subway, which is prone to delays and congestion as well. I like that I can fix my bike myself if I have to, and pretty cheaply so. It's about common sense and sustainability, which is about being green also. It's the way I prefer to live my life. My Mom always told me, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." Obeying what Nature asks for is in keeping with that, so I am having fun and doing something green--environmentally low-impact and sustainable. Incidentally, Al Gore may not be likable enough to get himself elected president, but he is neither stupid, nor wrong. I encourage folks to watch the film he stars in--"An Inconvenient Truth." Predictive science is rarely 100% reliable--just look at weather reports--but it is also generally correct--just look at weather reports! Many of the facts, like the burst in world population growth are incontrovertible facts with implications for the future. One man suggested that any fuel he saves will be used by another in India or China. Just look at the traffic jam in China in the news recently. Demand will outstrip supply sooner than expected, I think, so the sooner we learn to live with less oil, the better.

Given they are made of parts shipped around the world several times, and trucked across the continent,
the carbon debt owed just to put one on the Bike store floor is large..

and the engineering keeps making the new/latest Bling at the expense of the good enough..

TdeF has a huge carbon footprint , team cars buses trucks Motorcycles .. the Press coverage is all Motorized,
and all those Fans driving across Europe to park by a particular roadside in July .

Green? Then them Afghanis are way ahead of us.

http://www.corbisimages.com/images/6...8/TU001512.jpg

How is this different than a car though? Actually I doubt the carbon footprint of a single bike is that large considering that parts are shipped in bulk. Certainly getting a used bike is that much better. I haven't bought a new bike in almost 20 years. Come to think of it, I've never bought a new car.

Haha, now I see why nobody wants to be green. If that is "green".

i don't mind if people make comments about me being "green" for my bike commuting, but i'll always remind them that the primary reason i ride to work everyday is because it's so much damn fun. all of the other reasons to ride all fall into place after that, and the order is mostly irrelevant because "fun" takes up the first 10 spots on the list ;)

For me it's fun most of the time. My wife asked me if I ever get tired of it and I don't. However, there are mornings in January and February when I wake up to a howling NW wind and it's still dark outside. I don't want to check the temperature 'cause I know it won't be pleasant. On those days I more motivated by the challenge than by the fun.

It'll likely be in the 90's again today on the way home and I'll still probably add a few extra miles to my commute. I'm not that bothered by it but it's not as bad here as it gets some places.

I'm just saying that there is no reason to get upset about that. It's human nature. I've seen people quoting their own posts and arguing them, now, that's messed up :D

I believe he limited his discussion purely to the energy costs of driving vs biking all else being equal, so if cycling is associated with other changes in consumption as well, he didn't address them. So if you want to lower your carbon footprint and the only thing you do is switch to biking to work, you aren't going to have much impact.

That MUP is so big and wide. Tons of room for everybody.

Yup. I bet there are no salmons there.

The comments that bother me are those like when a man was hit in town here, not killed but injured and the driver left the scene. 3 different people emailed me the story.

I mean, WTF? Do I email everyone that drives a car every time someone gets injured or killed in a car?

Yes!!!

I get that sometimes. I honestly think it's an attitude of trying to talk you out of it.... as if posting some story will suddenly make me "see the light" at how foolish cycling is. I just smile, and forward emails about anti-cellphone and/or emissions laws being passed. :)