oilfreeandhappy

I'm starting to feel old. I'm on business in St. Louis, MO, and I decided to purchase my first folding bike, so I could do without a rental car. I've been riding it around, taking it on the Metrolink and on the buses. I'm in a training class with a lot of younger folks. Although I'm not advertising it, a few of them saw me on the bicycle, and have made comments like, "They'd never ride on St. Louis roads". Actually, I've had no problems, and find it exhiliarating. Of the 41 other students, only 3 didn't rent a personal car, and that's because they're from China, and don't have a driver's license.

Also, there's a bowl of ice, with beverages, including bottled water at the training seminars. I dislike the idea of discarding plastic bottle after plastic bottle, so I go to the drinking fountain, and fill my glass with water, while everyone else goes for the plastic. Am I living in the past? Isn't conservation a good thing? They have fine mass transit here. The tap water quality in St. Louis is very good. I especially feel old, when I start thinking --- "This younger generation...".

webist

Just cause you are "old" doesn't mean you are wrong.

bobby c

Jim,

You are the man, regardless of age.

Tom Bombadil

Sounds like those young folk need the example you are setting for them.

Red Rider

ITA.

Keep setting the example. Someone will notice & follow it.

Jet Travis

True. And you never how that example will play out. It wouldn't surprise me at all if one or more of those young 'uns goes home, dusts off the ol' bike, pumps up the tires and begins to ride. I say this because I used to get scoffed at for riding my bike to work. I never got defensive; I just said something like, "Riding my bike to work is one of the best parts of my day."

Several months later, some of those who laughed loudest were asking about which bike to buy and a couple actually began to commute by bike themselves.

East Hill

If they ask, point out in as friendly a manner as you can muster, and say "I'm doing my best to save some resources for you, is that all right with you?".

All right, you probably don't need the 'is that all right with you' bit, but they should catch your drift if they aren't completely without some brains.

East Hill

Terex

Age doesn't have anything to do with it. I see lots of 50+ people at conferences, and I've never seen one on a folding bike or fill up an empty water bottle. I'll be at an environmental law conference in Colorado this week, and I'll let you know how many folding bikes, etc., I see. I went to an environmental class at UC Boulder for a week once and I rented a mountain bike to get around town on - but half the people there ride bikes. The only place that I've seen folding bikes in general use is London, and that's based almost entirely on economics. By the way, I'm drinking my tap water at work right now.