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TechnoratiSmooth Sailing for 'Oil-Free' Food
Follow organic produce as it travels from Sequim to Seattle by sailboat with no use of petroleum.
SEQUIM, Wash. - Let us follow a strawberry, flush from the field as it travels on wind and water - but without petroleum - from Sequim to the big, hungry city.
![[Dave Reid, with his Sail Transport Co., delivers produce from the Sequim area to Seattle without using petroleum. (DIANE URBANI DE LA PAZ / AP)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/davereid-2.jpg "davereid-2.jpg")
People in Seattle want these oil-free Sequim berries with the Nash's Organic name on them, according to David Reid, owner and operator of Seattle's Sail Transport Co.
He's the bringer of our berry - plus hundreds of pounds of other produce - across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, into Puget Sound and to the city dock in Seattle, all without a motor.
This strawberry, ripened in Sequim solar energy, travels aboard the Whisper, Reid's 27-foot, engineless sailboat.
Upon arrival, the fruit is carried on a cargo bicycle or tricycle to the table of someone who discovered Dungeness Valley flavor at a Seattle farmers market.
Nash's Organic Produce, grown on some 400 acres north of Sequim, has a reputation in the Puget Sound metropolitan area, Reid said.
People lust after the berries and leafy greens that peak this time of year, and he's more than happy to satisfy their desires - without bothering with those gas-guzzling trucks and ferries.
Reid is growing a CSA, as in community-supported agriculture, club of about 25 produce subscribers in Seattle. They've signed up for regular deliveries of freshly picked produce - and not just as a summer fling.
"Nash's has a long growing season," Reid said, so when winter douses the city in rain and chill, he'll be able to deliver comfort food: squashes, potatoes, sweet carrots for roasting.
His mode of transport is not only oil free; it's done with very little sound.
At 7:30 a.m. last Friday, he and Nash's staffer Sid Maroney were nearly wordless as they loaded box after box of Nash's produce picked that morning, from fluffy lettuces and herbs to fava beans, spring baby garlic, French breakfast and Easter-egg radishes, to wheat berries and strawberries - and four dozen eggs.
"These are actually for me and a few friends," Reid admitted as he placed the cartons in a safe spot on the packed boat.
Reid and his crewman, fellow Seattleite Alec Billroth, will need the protein.
Like gondoliers, they used an oar to push the Whisper out into Sequim Bay, which was flat as a mirror.
The men barely spoke, as if reluctant to disturb the tranquil scene. Once away from the marina, the crew raised the sails, and a light breeze sent the Whisper gliding into the pale blue horizon.
With Sail Transport, Reid is embarking on a kind of second voyage.
The product of a small organic farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, he grew up to be a project engineer for Philips Healthcare.
After traveling the globe, he decided to explore new territory - proving what's possible when it comes to delivering food.
It's high time, he believes, to move away from fossil-fueled modes of shipping.
With the waterways between Sequim's farms and the Puget Sound's population, he considers Sail Transport Co. a viable venture.
"This is a demo year," he said, in which he's slowly, steadily adding produce subscribers in Seattle - and sailing toward a livelihood unaffected by fuel prices.
Reid is not only frugal and determined; he's patient.
The voyage from John Wayne Marina to the Seattle dock can take anywhere from 11 hours to more than 24, he said.
But he doesn't mind depending on wind and muscle instead of gas and speed.
The price on his type of energy isn't going to fluctuate much, after all.
The Whisper "is the equivalent of a three-quarter-ton pickup," Reid added, "except the fuel cost is zero."
Reid plans on being back at John Wayne Marina in a few weeks for another load of summer produce. And as more subscribers come on board, he'll further streamline the sailboat by stripping out almost everything but shelves for crates.
Friday's pickup was only about 400 pounds of food, but "when this scales up, I could do up to 1,800 pounds," Reid said.
There was one glitch, though, in our strawberry's trip from field to Whisper: The truck Maroney drove from Nash's packing shed to the marina is a petroleum-slurping Bronco.
That's the bad news, Maroney acknowledged, but the good news is that he owns an electric truck.
A staunch proponent of alternative fuels, Maroney has been driving his plug-in truck around eastern Clallam County for many months.
It's now in need of a minor repair, and he hopes to have it back on the road shortly.
Reid, for his part, indicated that he'll feel even better about sailing to Sequim when that electric truck is up and around again.
"Let me know," he told Maroney before hopping onto the Whisper's deck.
43 Comments so far
Show AllJust got through reading all the comments, and would like to ask everyone one question. If you lived by where this man was selling his organically grown strawberries that he delivers by sailboat, would you buy them? I think I would. Let everyone do what they can to make this a better world. Om Shanti Shanti Om!
This article (and the comments), though well-meaning perhaps, is VAIN.
Grow your own food or buy from as close to where you live as possible. Don't expect fresh berries that are out-of-season locally. It's stupid. If you have that much money that you can afford such luxuries donate your time and money to those in need.
Produce and consume, local. LOCAL. LOCAL. LOCAL.
If you want to do the right thing then make a list of personal demands you will exert upon the markets. One such demand may be zero-carbon transoceanic passenger transport. The ships will take from five to ten days per voyage. They will be powered by a combination of sail and biofuel engine. Mpg per passenger for ship will be about 100 times better than jet, and 10 times better than rail.
The Oceania government will tax transport based on mpg so jet will cost 100 times ship. The biofuel will be sustainably produced with the Oceania government ensuring that the labor is compensated with a living wage. Passengers will pay for their voyage and pass the time working in the ships' workshops. They will understand the need for "balanced job complexes" as M. Albert calls it.
The economic viability of the workshop enterprise will be ensured by a worldwide ban on sweatshop exploitation, and assurance of a living wage for all craftsmen. Such a sustainable approach to transoceanic passenger transport cannot thrive in a sea of unfettered capitalism, but rather in a sea of similar-spirited non-exploitive economics.
The people will make this happen by training their children, and themselves, to help demand, and help supply, a comprehensive sustainable alter-economy, eventually displacing unfettereed capitalism to become The World Economy. The K-12 curriculum is where to start. Take the elementary school kids to the school board meeting and have them "monitor" the meeting. Take the middle school kids to the city council meetings and have them "monitor" those, and the high school kids to the state level, and the college kids to Oceania's control center.
I agree that with technological improvements in hull design and automatred sail furling and unfurling and the like there is no reason that we couldn move a lot of commodities and even by passengers by sailing ship. Why is everyone in such a rush anyway?
enter ... "Maltese Falcon", owned by venture capitalist Tom Perkins.
I think the venture capitalist is already beat you guys to the punch in sailing ships and pushing passenger travel etc....
http://www.symaltesefalcon.com/index2.asp
funny,thing. I went to school board meetings as a elementary school and then junior high school student demanding change and challenging the decisions on a few modest ideas. I did this without the "guidance" or "oversight" you instruct others to do in your k-12 model.
A fault with your model is your belief the system can be won and controlled by infiltrating the power structure/control center. Yet, you don't want to challenge the totality of the system, you just want to be in control of it and how it functions and implement some participatory model of economics.
But let me tell you, and take this with a grain of a salt because I never had engineers assisting me in my political "rise" to college age and then to the control center., I learned early on those with power displace those without power and will do whatever they can to retain their power. And if this comes in the form of adopting protocol so little boys and girls can be part of the governance, then "it's a small world after all". And then droid JacknJill's engineered rise is subverted. and it's all ra-ra and glee club, and the engineers are still fed, and the control center now offers scholarships for young up-and-coming students.... enter droid, Barack Obama....
but now it's different, and with a even more demanding crowd of engineers championing younger generations to toe-the-line and build a new world order by the time they hit the control center.
yeah, it's a kick to the head. oceania and oceanic enterprise as defining geopolitics is tres chic these days in Ivy circles. Old British late 19c thought is all the rave. Partly reinforcing the land grab in Central Asia....link to Indian Ocean....
This is a perfect example of silly thinking and of someone jumping on the bandwagon with a proposal that has a surface appeal but flaws in the core. Petroleum free, eh? Is the farm run by manual labor? What is the boat made of? What is the main ingredient in the manufacture of his sails? (hint: rhymes with OIL). The cost of replacement sails - and all sail must be replaced- will certainly go up as time marches on. What about all that lead or steel in his keel? Did that magically jump out of the ground?
this would impress me: harvest your logs with a handsaw, build a rowboat out of it, and row your produce to market
I don't argue the need for alternatives to our current methods, but to use the green movement for a profit center whle not really telling the truth is just criminal
this comment typed on a recycled paper computer
Ok, so it's not perfect but at least it's a start and the rest of the issues you mentioned will get worked on. We have to keep this up. You are correct that going green for profit makes no sense. What some are doing is greenwashing but I don't think this one qualifies.
By the way, the wood and sails can be made with hemp. Dara Colwell wrote an excellent article on hemp and discussed these industrial uses of hemp. I recommend you check it out and help spread the word.
And in case you thought that there was no such thing as renewable petroleum, guess again. maxpayne brought up algal oil somewhere on this site as did someone else. The trick is that the oil from wild algae is the chemical equivilant of light sweet crude oil and is carbon neutral unlike our typical crude oil. They call it biocrude. Like hemp, it will have its costs but maybe that's what we need to take conservation, fuel efficiency, and public transportation seriously.
Hi Jennifer, Thanks so much for the wonderful compliment! I am very inspired by this article. I like reading good news. And this is really good news!
Some of the more cynical posters here have such a narrow view. They fail to see outside the box. There is more than one way to skin a cat, power a steam engine, make a sail and produce food.
Sails, as you say can be made from hemp. In fact, before nylon, they were made of hemp for thousands of years. Hemp will outlast nylon, and is a non-polluting industry. I could go on, but you know all about it. It was you who turned me on to that great hemp article on alternet.
Also, Many people think farming is the only way to grow food. Farming is in fact a very inefficient, energy dependent and labor intensive way to produce food. I have been learning more about the alternative - permaculture food forestry - lately that has me rethinking some of the ways I've been doing things here on the ranch. It also validates the direction we're going in our gardens. And biodiversity is key.
There are a few very informative videos I've been watching the past several evenings, learning much more about the coming energy crises and how we can not only survive it, but thrive, despite it. I could type a bunch more words in support of this but the videos say so much (links below).
One thing is clear to me that wasn't before, and that is - brace yourself - farming, agriculture, is the biggest destroyer of our planet. It's the single most destructive activity that mankind is involved in. I had never thought this through so deeply until now.
The solution to the coming crises in energy, food production and distribution... the way forward, as it turns out, is gardening. Yes, gardening is a step forward rather than a step back. Not drudgery gardening, but in creating self-perpetuating food forests right out our doors. And this as you will see in the second video, can be done even in high rise apartments where the occupants can meet one 5th of all their nutritional needs in a small balcony garden.
Here are the links to 2 excellent video resources on the way forward:
A FARM FOR THE FUTURE (part 1 of 5)
http://tinyurl.com/mspczt (Thanks to Ted Markow)
THE PERMACULTURE CONCEPT (part 1 of 6)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofKTgmW_FAg
These videos are well worth watching! No, more than that, they will change your life forever. After watching them I feel forever changed. Enjoy the quiet revolution!
~Moondoggy
Hi Moondoggy,
Yes, you and Bliss Doubt have a lot in common. She's from TX and you're from MT and yet lots to share.
I couldn't do farming where I live in as it was. I now realize that what I'm doing to grow a few vegetables in my balcony is urban gardening thanks to the topsy turvey that can be used indoors anywhere.
Speaking of hemp, the more I learn about it, the more I feel guilty of all the nylon clothing we wear even for health and comfort reasons. I don't know if hemp can replace all nylon clothing but I can see it replacing most of it. If it can replace spandex as well, then it will be great.
Thank you for the videos. We're all going to have to learn to do this and no amount of oil secured from the Middle East can stop that.
Hi Jen, No time for a lengthily reply, but wanted to acknowledge I read this. I do have something to say about making nylon from hemp seed oil derivative (and more). So hang in there. Check back here late tonight or tomorrow morning and I'll try to give you a more informative reply. Have a good day! Gotta run. ~Moondoggy
PS, Please tell me what a topsy turvey is. Thanks!
PPS, Don't worry, be happy! You are loved and appreciated!
Interesting, nylon from hempseed oil. I look forward to your reply. :)
If it's ok with you, I would like to show Bliss Doubt your website:
http://www.flyingpopcornranch.com :)
PS:
I can't say that I was always a big fan of nylon clothing especially legwear. I used to refuse to wear tights when I was young but probably because I was fat then. Getting slender and less of a meat eater, I'd feel sensitive to colder temperatures so I'd end up wearing it under my work clothes in the winter to keep warm. Sometimes, I feel guilty that for comfort and health, all this nylon, spandex, and lycra has to come from crude oil. When it comes to clothing, nylons may or may not be the invention of the 'elite' but they are surely the tool of Satan ... all that money spent on disposable petroleum-based legwear that fails to insulate from even the lightest of breezes and is incapable of withstanding the smallest of snags ... On the other hand, at least no animals were killed to make this clothing.
I have come across better quality legwear albeit a higher price but at least it's durable and lasts longer. I have even seen legwear for men at comfilon.com. Interestingly, Steve Katz even told me that there have also been a growing number of female customers on his site since it's more unisex and outlasts even the best of the nylon wear found in most retail and grocery stores. Steve would say that technically, I'd be a cross dresser for wearing male tights even though there's no noticable difference. I have to admit that I admire a man in tights especially an athletic one. :)
Wow, a lot has happened since I was gone. The conversation went to tights. Robinhood: Men in Tights. Who was in that? Kevin Cosner? I think we have it on VHS.
I have been wearing smartwool this past winter, as well as a blend of cotton wool for comfort wear and Patagonia Capoline for athletic endevors, like skiing. Patagonia has a program to buy back your old worn out synthetic long johns, fleece and whatnot. They then recycle the fibers and make them into new Patagonia's.
I don't wear "tights" necessarily, but do wear long johns under usually Carhartt work pants or jeans and a cotton or wool button down work shirt. I dress for function and comfort and to match weather conditions and activity. I dress one way for work, and another way for skiing. I don't really do that much else. I like to hike, and that, for me, is basically a summer version of skiing, and mountain bike.
I don't know if nylon has anything to do with Satan or not. I still don't really have a authoritative grasp on the whole Satan concept. I can tell you what I think, but I have no way of backing up my ideas with any sort of verification. To me, Satan is just an idea, or way of explaining that dishonest side of us that seeks to satisfy a personal desire at the expense of harming others.
I think we can all have all our needs satisfied abundantly if we all learn how to cooperate with one another. That we learn how to give back to the whole for the good of us all. We need to learn kindness and patience, tolerance, forgiveness and begin to build trust.
We need to start to put the other first and learn to love, to really love one another. Our whole society, from the individual to the couple, to the small group, to the community to the nation to the world needs to change course and really begin to build a sane, functional, cooperative relationship with one another. We need to look beyond and above, and build a better society; make a better world for our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Sanity seems to be in short supply in many places these days, and we need to help those conflicts to cease and the wounds to heal. We need to end our aggression towards one another and towards the natural world. We need to renew our relationship with nature and work together to feed ourselves and to promote biodiversity. If we do this, world peace will come naturally. We need not force the issue.
There are simple natural solutions to all of our problems. Bioremediation is one such solution, if not THE solution to the pollution. We can do so much with hemp and we need to learn the importance and function of fungi.
I was going to tell you about hemp nylon, but I've taken up too much space here already. Here's one place to start your education:
http://www.hempplastic.com/newSite/index.htm
Try smart wool. It's very comfy. But it's not a pantyhose nor tights. It's all about staying warm in winter conditions. And sheep willingly give their winter coats to us every spring. Ba-aa-aa-aa-aa-ah!
And just one more thing, Watch those videos. A Farm for the future is an excellent documentary by an awesome British woman cinematographer who grew up on a farm in South Devon. Cheers!
Hi Moondoggy,
Sorry I fell into digressing about tights. I have seen that movie and I believe a DVD version is out there somewhere. I'll try to do some research on hemp nylon. I tried to look that up on google but no clear results. If hemp can not only replace nylon but also spandex and lycra, then hemp-based legwear will be hard to beat. I heard that it was DuPont who desperately tried to avoid competition at all costs and was successful with other vested interests in forcing hemp off the market. No wonder our nation gets stuck with one war for oil after another.
About Satan and nylon, I used to think that when I was a teen and had no intention of covering my legs in nylons. The thought would linger every time my nylons would hit a snag. I'll keep smart wool in mind for the winter. I can see how cold MT can get. I did come across cotton sweater tights at Whole Foods last winter and it was said to have been made of organic cotton. It did keep me warm and did not itch. Very little nylon involved too.
P.S.: I saw your other reply on your visit to the Dakotas and Eastern MT. I hope to God the governor there does not let the coal mining in Eastern MT proceed as it will also impact the Dakotas.
Hi Jennifer. Did you see the article here in today's CD: UN to Study Potential Threats to Canada-U.S. World Heritage Site
Conservation photographers set for expedition to British Columbia's Flathead Valley near Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/02-9
This hit's close to home for me. I've been aware of and been fighting this threat for the last 15 to 20 years now. Along with several other local battles to save some of the irreplaceable natural wonders in my bioregion.
Please do treat yourself to a viewing of those videos I mentioned above, particularly A Farm For The Future, because it is so informative and well done. It should get awards in excellence. The other one on permaculture is a bit 80's I suppose, but the information is extremely valuable.
And even if you're not following through and watching them, I hope other readers to this thread are. I'm trying to help as many people and affect as much positive change and influence as possible. I am convinced permaculture is our way out of the madness of our present destructive course.
I'm glad to hear that you admire a guy in tights. I wear them myself even if anyone dare call me "gay" or whatever. When I started wearing tights I was nervous at first being a man. My wife challenged my timidity and got me out of it. I realized that when men can wear tattoos, pink shirts, and earrings, why not tights? I was even able to go out with my kilt and tights on for a mall spree with my wife and it didn't turn out to be bad at all. I didn't wear to show off but because I actually felt more comfortable wearing that. There was a clerk who told me that she laughed so hard until she peed in her pants after having seen me but otherwise, it was just normal as usual. Obviously, she was not used to seeing a guy in legwear, not even an athlete when I asked her about it. There were a few females who smiled but no one laughed and in fact a few came to me and surprisingly told me that I looked a bit more manly.
I know which male tights you are referring to and I wear those. They feel a wee bit thicker and the compression feels a bit more but it's great for guys to actually wear them. I haven't put a run in any of them whatsoever but I always make sure my nails are cut and that my feet aren't flakey skinned to prevent runs. When I first wore tights, I started out with the women's brand but since I am tall at 6 ft, the choices are limited but I was doing great even with size Q. You also said that nylons cannot handle the slightest of breezes but I beg to differ. I wouldn't wear tights when it's 90 degrees but even when it's breezy, I get a good comfort from it.
The athletes who wear tights usually wear the ones that are made mainly of spandex more than nylon. 500 years ago, men used to wear pants that were more like tights except that those pants simply didn't stretch but were designed to conform to the legs as much as possible.
Max, women generally don't really mind men dressed in tights and some won't mind their men dressed in tights too. It's all a matter of general personality. As long as you don't allow some fear that you'll get laughed at for wearing tights to control your personality, you can't lose. I'm happy to hear that your wife gave you the courage to wear what really comforts you. :)
Yes, biomass fuels or use of algae to convert current "waste" such as sewage effluent into usable fuels holds great promise.
As for a steam powered car, it comes down to energy density and storage requirements. We're addicted to oil because nothing else matches it for portability, energy density, and existing infrastructure (although that last one is a bit of a circular argument). Steam powered cars.. how is the steam produced? Compressed air cars? How is the air compressed? What happens to the waste heat generated when compressing air? etc...
What do you think about the air car? I read this article (link below) when it came out last fall, and I was so excited, yet I haven't heard another single word about it.
http://www.almadentimes.com/091108/vehicle.htm
"What is the main ingredient in the manufacture of his sails? (hint: rhymes with OIL)"
So how did Phoenicians manage to make sail boats without oil, steel, handsaws?
I did not say it was not possible to build a boat without use of oil; I said his used substantial quantities of said fluid in its construction.
For other power option that likely use less fuel, check out www.kiteship.com
Yes, in the most absolute sense of the phrase "oil-free" you are absolutely, 100% free and true.
I highly suspect he isn't using kid gloves or that the soles on his boots are leather off farmer Tom's old bull. Let alone the metal anchor. I'm sure as hell certain the lines on his sailboat aren't made of homespun hemp. Or the mast isn't Sitka Spruce. Well, he is in the NW so maybe as a default I'll give him the Sitka Spruce mast. But, that's it. Even if the fiberglass hull is cast in a NW yard, it's still fiberglass.
...and for the sake of all the good sailing time being wasted, why the hell would anyone sail to Seattle when they could sell strawberries to people in Sequim? Well, okay. Seattle will pay a premium, and people in Sequim don't have much money, and they can grow their own god-darn berries or go to Walmart. but apart from all of that, he still sucks it for using his old Bronco truck to haul premium crop to some used boat he secured for sailing to a market where uber-rich, WASP yuppies will do back-flips for feel good food! What a bastard! I bet he rescues stray cats!
But, seriously now. He's in the transportation business, so is he running empty from Seattle to Sequim or does he transport goods both ways? That's not mentioned in the article. Hmm.
You could use cotton canvas instead of Dacron sails, but growing, processing, spinning and weaving the cotton probably uses more oil than manufacture of the Dacron - especially considering the cotton doesn't last very long.
total expense argument, dacron v cotton., similar to the argument that made plastic bags rate so well over paper bags. now there is demand not to use plastic bags even though film plastic is a high value recyclable plastic that should reasonable end up recycled into new bags.
What a wonderful example of sustainability. Good news is always welcome. Thank you.
Bliss Doubt, welcome to CD. I'm happy to see you here. :)
My cousin who works as an automechanic once told me about an earlier proposal in the early 1990s to put forth a completely steam powered auto that was later stifled by one of the big auto giants, GM I think. If Peak Oil happens, steam engines will be one of the more common methods of transportation just like the days before the Age of Oil.
The steam must be generated with fossil fuels too...
I need a diagram of the engine you are referring to that requires FF.
A steam engine runs on steam generated by a boiler. The heat to boil the water to make the steam must come from a fuel of some sort. Old-fashoned steam locomotives and steamboats used coal. The old Stanley Steamer automobile of the early 20th century presumably used kerosene or such.
And thanks for reminding me that you live in St Louis. Except for connecting at it's airport, I've never been to St. Louis, but from what I could see from the air, it didn't look like a particularly vibrant or livable urban area.
The old Stanley Steamer should have also presumably used alcohol especially on a farm where one could grow crop and brew your own white lightening.
"... And it was capable of using fuels, such as kerosene, alcohol, coal gas and even coal, that were much cheaper than gasoline and more readily available..."
h**p://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090475/index.htm
Alcohol can be produced from a variety of throwaways from consumer society.like day old donuts, but more realistically an individual could utilize corn, sugar beets, etc.
Dismissing steam engines by citing coal or fossil fuels can easily be drummed up into a scare tactic just like catastrophic steam explosions and alcohol fires were used in the past.
Anyway, a person could also just convert their old gas engine to run on alcohol and bypass it all --gas companies and old money ta'boot.
and just for giggles, check out this little stirling running off the blue flame....
h**p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wua8J3oMkNM
Oh great, steam powered cars reliant on coal.
Where do you get the idea that steam powered cars run on coal?
The original steam engines were run on coal. So what is the heat source for steam powered cars?
Hi Jennifer,
Alternet was getting too cheezy for me. I'm never going back there again.
About sustainability, you know, I'm ready for the days of horses and buggies, really. You can never go back in time, or make things the way they were, but I think we do and have a lot in this world that we don't need, and mostly at the expense of those who do have needs, including other people and other species. Mankind evolved for hundreds of thousands of years without planes, trains and automobiles. Lately, I think what we're missing the most are peace and silence in this world.
I hope you're continuing to mend from your accident.
Bliss,
I forgot to mention another favorite of mine but as I was getting dinner prepared my other favorite on this site came to mind. His name is Moondoggy and he's quite spiritual as well. He's also an organic farmer and since I remember a lot of healthful recipes and ideas you used to post on Alternet, I think that most people on this site would also be as enthusiastic as I was and especially Moondoggy. I especially love the way he won't take no for an answer on getting people to put their minds to work and growing their own food and he knows a lot about urban farming. I saw his website too and being from Montana, I could only imagine how much more smooth and vibrant the heartland would be by now if more people out in the rurals would only share his positive and peaceful thinking. :)
Hi BD,
I've noticed Alternet going the way of Huffpost too though their comments are somewhat low. I think the ratings there may have had a lot to do with turning more people away, not that I bother with the ratings as I say what I honestly believe regardless of whatever rating I get for it. I don't blame you. I'm happy to invite similar people over.
Speaking of sustainability and transportation, now that I'm working from home remotely up until the end of summer, I get to see what life in the suburbs during the day is like. The places where there is work are nearly empty but the only thing that never is empty are the major streets and highway and traffic is always ridiculously high. I had a chance one day to see the roads from a neighbor of mine when I went with her to the city. I thought that for all that extremely heavy traffic I'd put up with to and from work that it would empty out during the work hours but now I see I'm dead wrong. Peak Oil will force us to utilize remote technologies, companies to relocate and spread out, and yes we will have to ride horses though after reading Dara Calwell's article on hemp and her full discussion on the industrial uses, we'll probably switch to plant oil but will have to adjust to higher fuel prices and learn to conserve and take public transportation seriously. The good news is we'll get to be a part of society reforming. The bad news is that thanks to the reports that Iraq somehow has the capability of supplying twice the oil output as Saudi Arabia that "cheap" oil will still linger a bit longer than expected. CD posted a couple of articles on this yesterday.
There are plenty of interesting people here on this forum and plenty more I learned from them in addition to the articles. My favorite is Sioux Rose. Similar to George Lakoff applying cognitive science to politics and current events, she applies her knowledge of spirituality and astrology to the ongoing events and can even make general predictions about what's most likely to happen. So far, she's been correct and even the naysayers had to give it up. She is also very good at relating events in her life and the psychologies of those she meets to the political climate. This forum would never be the same without her.
Nader's articles show up here at least once a week and usually on Saturdays and he discusses the issues rather well so he's not what most people mistake him to be. Some Obamabot trolls will show up here but unlike Huffpost and even Alternet, they'll either learn and reform or go away. However, ever since I got back after recovering, I noticed that even many of those who clung to Obama are now open to supporting Independents and I welcome them into our camp. I'd like to invite Quannah over to this site as well.
Once again, welcome aboard. :)
If you move to a real city (not sunbelt sprawl like the DC area), you don't need a car at all. You can do fine in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods without one. My brother lives just fine in Toronto without one.
I used to live in St Louis City but could only afford to rent an apartment. As the prices rose and services got worse along with more apt complex breakins and shootings, I was determined to move to somewhere better. I really do regret my decision to buy a cheaper but good quality condo over in the suburbs as it's now 45 miles to work and no metro nearby. Metro needs to expand but if DC is any indication, I'm not even holding my breath on improvements. St Louis has been undergoing service cuts and higher fares and as a result traffic jams and major accidents have gone right back up. I would generally choose to leave late in the evening by working out in the gym after work but after a dear ran into my car despite the lights, I felt uncomfortable with that idea. My car engine breaking down when it was closer to getting dark made me even more fearful of night time driving. I'm sure I'll get over the fear after a while but I think most of us would be much happier if we didn't have to travel longer distances to work. I'm still not giving up contacting my local, state, and even Congressional reps on providing funding for metro and even expanding it. Metro isn't always perfect but I would rather stand the whole time than sit cramped in traffic jam hell any day.
We need a source for organic crunchberries too.
Nice, but this is one of those feel-good gimmicks whose actual contribution to reduced GHG's is tiny. I'm sure most end-users pick up their weekly crate in an SUV.
I think the contribution is beyond reduced GHGs. Although it can lead to a reduction, the larger theme is of general sustainability. A lot of those who look for the feel-good gimmick are missing the larger point (like not driving an SUV to the market if you can help it). I hope this will inspire more folks to think differently.
Undoubtedly true, but when reality of oil depletion dooms oil-based fuel, people like him will be the only ones left.
The larger issue, I think, is that trucks and planes waste far more oil in food transport than shipping. In my opinion, we should phase out both of those first, preferably with electric trains powered by alternative energy (or even conventional power, as trains are still more efficient).
The amount of bulk agricultural goods that travel by inland rivers and waterways (Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland, Great Lakes, Columbia, and various tributaries shouldn't be discounted, but river travel could be used a lot more in many areas.
I find that the amount of goods that travel by rail vs. long-houl truck seems to vary a huge amount by region. A lot more stuff goes by rail and intermodal in the northeast and midwest than in the south, where interstate highways seem to have much more truck traffic. Virginia was even proposing a truck-only parallel roadway for interstate Route 81 - while underused railoads run up the Shenandoah Valley parallel to the Interstate highway for much of the length of the state.