Roody

I've noticed over the years that people on this forum don't seem to do much about World Carfree Day, but I don't know why that is.


https://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/

chewybrian 

It's much like the 'Smoke Out' day, in that there is little chance you can change the behavior. If you don't smoke, what do you do for Smoke Out day? Do you go around and preach to smokers? Is it productive? If you smoke, will you stop for one day?

Car free is much the same. Only a small percent of people who are very car light could be expected to celebrate the event by changing their behavior. The rest of us are already car free, or too dependent on the car to go without, even for a day.

SillAilse

i agree with you , but when people face the problem about Environment pollution, people must pay attention to the problem.

Caretaker

The link led me to this cartoon gem produced by the 'American Petroleum Institute' in 1956 titled 'Destination Earth'.

Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6DjkrsPOw

Newspaperguy

What's the point of World Carfree Day?

Those who believe in car-free and car-light living may take part and feel good about it. Those who do not like the idea will simply choose to ignore it. And for those who are already car-free, it's just another day.

We already have all sorts of events to raise awareness, from Bike To Work Week to Earth Day and Earth Hour. Do they really accomplish anything in the long term?

Smallwheels

I liked the cartoon "Destination Earth". At the end it said if you have competition and oil anything is possible. Competition for energy production has been limited to small groups that seem to be preventing competition. I wonder how the Petroleum Institute would feel about this cartoon today in 2011. I bet they wouldn't want it seen by millions of people.

Fasteryoufool

I've been "observing" it for years... but until now was totally unaware of it. I'm car-free every day.

nathan.johnson

While I'm not car-free, I am car-lite. I haven't driven in 2 weeks and usually drive less than 5 miles per month. So I observe "Carfree Day" most days. That said, there will be free snacks given out to bike commuters at a particular intersection here, so I may need to make a slight detour to my usual route.

Artkansas 

My grandfather was an executive of Gulf Oil in the '50s. I have an article he wrote for the Gulf internal magazine that basically states how foolish it is to behave as if oil is unlimited when they know that it is limited, and they don't know how much there is. So they knew back then, even if they didn't act like it.

Yeah, ironic isn't it. I'm car-free, but my education was paid for by oil.

Roody

I think Earth Day has been highly effective at raising awareness of environmental issues ahd the Whole Earth or Gaia philosophy. The schools have made a fuss over Earth Day since it started in the 1970s, and that seems important and valuable to me.

I have no idea if World Carfree Day will ever be as important as Earth Day. I do know that it's a bigger deal in Asia and even parts of Africa than it is in North America.

Fasteryoufool

This is exactly what I mean. I was totally unaware of the fact that there is such a thing as "Car-Free Day". To me, it is just another day. To my sister who hates bicycles (I can't be related to her... I just can't) if she were aware of it, it'd make zero impact on her. To my wife... well, she'd feel bad if she weren't riding that day, but she rides when she can and it wouldn't make a difference to her either.

gerv 

News to me. Thanks for posting.

I won't be using a car tomorrow of course.

Maybe I'll go for a ride after work.

{Edit** and here's a blog entry about this .

Roody

I think the blog is correct==this event is pretty big in some places. I subscribe to a Gogle News notification for the word "carfree". The places with the most carfree news are pretty consistently Indonesia and England, India is in the next tier, along with some northern European cities and a couple cities in Africa. I think these are areas with particularly bad auto congestion, and the governments as well as private organizations are interested in carfree as one soluyion to gridlock and pollution problems.

I think it's exciting that this carfree thing is worldwide and growing. I've always found that most carfree people are bright and forward thinking. We should all give ourselves and each other a pat on the back on 9-22-11, World Carfree Day.

I-Like-To-Bike

Who is this "We" you speak of? Maybe you should post your latest definition of "carfree people" that you believe you know or represent, as well as define the "carfree thing."

Ridefreemc

Yes, preaching to the choir here on this forum, HOWEVER, not a bad idea to pass this link around to others that you know well in advance of the day. It may convert a few, it may cause a few to ride that day only, but either way - we all benefit. I like to do this with no coercion or guilt attached. If they want to pursue it they know I'd be glad to offer assistance on routing, equipment, etc. Heck, I'd even ride the whole way with them if they wanted.

I do read into a few of the posts as being cynical though - "why bother? it won't do any good." I think it will, but likely small impact. I don't just mean environmental impact, that person that becomes aware of this by riding that one day may cut you/us some slack next time out on the road (they being the cager). I have been commuting to work for years. I really think that helped a co-worker do it 3-4 days a week now. She's a grandma too! No one would have ever guessed that she'd ride to and from work, but she does now. Never say never.

Also, some say it is news to them. Another reason to send the link around. If those in the bicycling community don't know about it then those that are not may depend on us getting the word out.

Roody

Don't worry, buddy. When I say "we" I definitely include you, along with everybody else who tries every day to drive less and find better tools for transportation.

C'mon, one day a year you can give yourself--and everybody else--a chance to feel good because you're doing good. Feel good because people all over the world are trying to drive less and ride bikes more. Feel good because they support you. feel good because an idea that you, ILTB, had many years ago is receiving more recognition and approval.

C'mon! Let's have a big group hug on World Carfree Day!

rockmom

I don't really need tips and "Rah! Rah! Rah!" at this point, so going to a midday mini-seminar on how to ride the bus or bike to work is sort of pointless. I am more than happy to help someone figure out which bus to take or where to find a map of local bike routes as the need arises. And I am happy to talk with folks when they ask about seeing me/husband/kids on the bus or on the bike so often. I'm just not big on the symbolic one day salute.

Newspaperguy

Earth Day started in 1970. When I was in school in the 1970s and 1980s, we did not have any Earth Day events I can remember. Then in 1990, 20 years after the original event, Earth Day became a big deal once again and this time it caught on.

As far as raising awareness, the awareness has been raised. That's good as far as it goes but it doesn't go far enough. Awareness by itself is almost meaningless.

What we have needed is a change in lifestyle. What we have been getting is a society which is increasingly wasteful and increasingly dependent on nonrenewable energy sources. Sure, we can take one day in the year and celebrate Earth Day, but until we also get to the point where we consume less and conserve more, our efforts at awareness are not helping us.

I see the same potential problem with World Carfree Day (or with Bike To Work Week, to use a related example.) It's easy to raise awareness, but unless that awareness leads to lifestyle changes, it accomplishes nothing significant. If people get out of their cars for one day and walk, bike or take the transit, it is nothing more than a symbolic gesture. When people get out of their cars for a day and then begin driving a little less, the seeds of change have been sown.

As I've said before, the best incentives for car-free and car-light living will come from those who have made it a natural part of their lifestyle. Those of us who can demonstrate how to live a full, rich life with little or no car dependence will be the best motivators for others to join us.

Roody

I disagree with your philosophy of environmentalism. I think it's very nice when people change their lifestyles to help the earth, but I don't think thiese individual efforts will ever lead to big enough change. I believe that we need changes in government policy to enforce big changes. Some of these policy changes will be negative--stricter regulations, for example. Other changes could be positive, such as tax breaks and other considerations for companies and individuals who "do the right thing."

The purpose of Earth Day and World Carfree Day, IMO, is to get citizens to light the fire that will lead to our leaders making better laws for the environment and for the urban landscape.

Newspaperguy

I understand what you're saying and I agree with you on the need for big changes. At the same time, I don't want to negate the power of individual efforts. My own behaviour, whether positive or negative, might not make any noticeable difference. When others join in, the changes become larger. An individual's action might be insignificant, but what would happen if everyone were to follow suit?

I cannot bring about any immediate change in government legislation or corporate policy, but I can change my own behaviours quickly and efficiently. The big changes can happen eventually, but the individual changes are within my grasp right now.

gerv 

Actually, you need to do both. There's a lot of essentially lobbying type activity you can do to affect government decision making. The best place to start is at City hall since that's the government sector easiest to influence and oddly has the most potential for acting (at least in the US....). The best way to do this is to join or form some organization that begins the process by talking to leaders and just making them conscious of the problem and possible solutions.

I believe you are a journalist. Just writing about these issues can have a far-reaching impact. (Again I'm supposing your government leaders can read... which I've noticed is sometimes a stretch here.)

Roody

I'm not going to argue, because I really don't disagree with you very much. I admire people who "Live the change they want to see," and that's one reason I'm carfree myself. Gerv is probably right: both types of action are necessary if there's gong to be any real change. What I hate to see is people becoming discouraged or cynical, and not even trying to create change.

Booger1

News to me also.....I've always celebrated the rise of the people of Rotterdam striking over the high cost of butter in 1699 on that date.....Time to update my calender! Thanks!

gerv 

I'm pretty sure we don't celebrate this day in North America because there's almost no one who doesn't have a car.

However, it's not uncommon for us to celebrate events that end up being "carfree". In Des Moines, the Saturday Farmer's Market closes off a busy street entirely. Stalls are set up in the street and people roam freely ... and they love it! Our bike co-op runs a bike parking stall. I believe we parked over 2000 bikes this summer. The first day of the market we saw 200 bikes in the lot.

Dahon.Steve

Interesting.

The petroleum industry trying to push their anti-communist propaganda to create a favorable opinion on them. The petroleum industry was far from competitive which is why Standard Oil was broken into several companies. I guess they really thought 50 years ago that competition would solve all our energy needs. They never dreamed we would spend 4 trillion dollars fighting wars to secure oil reserves halfway around the world.