Feed the world or drive a car?

PTBO52: When you come right down and think about the situation of using alternative food sources to power our cars it seems ridiculous. To some people their status is all wrapped up in what kind of a car they drive but that is changing although too slowly. On the other hand; people work a long way from their residences so if there is no public transit how will they get to work? In many Canadian cities public transit isn't ready for a large influx of ridership. Wasn't all this pointed out at least 25 yrs. ago? Who listened?

Funnydwarf: Probably nobody listened or it wasn't in their interest to take any action, just like now the Europeon Union wishes to have their own satelite for navigation systems and not rely on the U.S. one. For this they require millions of euros which will be partly funded from the Agricultural funds - like I will be able to find my way to the supermarket, but there won't be anything there to buy to eat!! (Actually I do not possess a navigation system - i am too old fashioned - I read a map!!)

PTBO52: Funnydwarf: Your right, there won't be anything there to eat! The older I get the more simple I have made my life. I haven't owned a car for 15 yrs. and I get by. I wouldn't even be able to put gas in it anyway. It's $1.40 per litre here now and headed for $1.50 by te end of the summer. I live in what is called "cottage country" here in Ontario and every year the city folks come up, throw garbage on the main street, let their dogs shit where ever and leave their car on for A/C while they are in our local grocery store for at least 1/2 hr. I,m so glad when they leave in Sept.

Funnydwarf: PT - Unfortunately, although I dislike driving I have to have a car, where we live is simply too far away from amenities and place of work. What I do try to do is combine everthing so I use the car when absolutely necessary (Price of our fuel is 1.35 euros per litre - I don't know what that is translated into dollars. Actually, when we were living in town, I was able to walk to the supermarket, I was able to bus to work and even go by bike - living in the country does have some disadvantages. One advantage though is that we have enough garden space and I will sacrifice my love of flowers and replace them with veggies and fruit (Some vegetable plants can have some beautiful flowers anyway) I am also getting more simple (in more ones than one!) as I get older, however i look back to the things I could have done and didn't do to help the environment. Shame on me, but I had so little knowledge and/or information that I probably wouldn't have known what to do anyway. It's up to us to preach what we were unable to practice!

PTBO52: Funny-dwarf: Love that handle! I know about doing things like just throwing everything in dumps. One thing my mom would never let us throw trash out the car window. I never ever did it. I remember people driving old cars, bikes in the lake. Everyone did it. Crazy BS eh?

Funnydwarf: It was crazy for sure, but I think it was probably at a time when there was really no facility for recycling. I am sure there are people who still do it - I don't know how it works in Canada, but if we have what we call 'bulky' rubbish - meaning fridges, cookers, old furniture, the community comes round twice a year and picks it up. If you have any other 'bulky' stuff then we have places where you can take it, but you have to pay (not much, but!) I guess some people think they don't want to pay and just dump it anywhere (especially car tyres) Although I must say I am quite impressed with the Austrians - in that respect they are most conscientious. Again, you get the black sheep who throw things out of their car window - disgusting habit!

PatiO57: I'm 58 now, and I am thinking that in my lifetime, you will see our governments starting to admit that the world's resources are not inexhaustable. They try to keep us calm about things by telling us that everything is cool and not to listen to people who are yelling about "the end is at hand"! Well, the end is, at least close, at hand. Copper, Iron ore, oil, and a whole list of others I probably don't know about. In the not so distant future you are going to see companies "mining" our old dumps for materials. This is why there is a big push to move out to the moon and mars. We are running out of supplies here. In a way we will have gone full circle. From hunter, gatherers, to farmers, to industrial revolution, and back to hunter gatherers (even though you are hunting and gathering in the stars)

Funnydwarf: Hi Patio - I am in full agreement that we will come round in a big circle, whether or not in our lifetime that I can't say. I have said in another post that I do not think we are entirely to blame for the progressive 'destruction' of our beautiful world. Mother Nature has shown in the past (when Man didn't really exist) that she is continually changing the face of the earth. She shrugs her shoulders and we get an earthquake, she sneezes and we get a tsunami, she coughs and a volcano erupts, she has fever and ice melts. That we are responsible for speeding up certain processes that I am convinced of. We are to blame because we are animals of convenience. Why do we have to have tomatoes in winter, they are a summer fruit. But no, thousands of acres of greenhouses have to be constructed (letting off whatever that gas is called) so that we can have a tasteless artificial red couloured tomato in our salad when the temperature is below freezing!! I just hope that if eventually whoever gets to Mars/Moon and establishes any kind of 'life' there, that they will have the hindsight to avoid the mistakes that have been made by us and our predecessors.

Nick_kciN:

Hi Funnydwarf, I can’t agree more with you about nature. I like to think of earth as a child, we are the organs inside that child. When the earth gets sick, as all kids do, it is up to us to adapt. Currently we are making the child sicker, which makes the Childs mum very concerned.
To pin hopes on mars, is like giving up on a sick child.

We know about natural events and in some places they adapt (earthquake proof buildings, Flood barriers and tsunami warning systems.)
Because money decides who gets to adapt in the developed world, many die.
“Convenience” has only been around since the end of the last world war. It was the driving force of the industrial revolution (after war stopped driving) it is also known as playing on human emotions, a very, very dishonest trade.
We are lucky it stopped with anti-freeze tomatoes, I remember when they thought the vitamin pill was going to replace food !
Prozac was supposed to replace self reflection.
And TV was supposed to replace family.
… I’m drifting a little here..
I think my point is, we need a new way of thinking, I think we all have it in us, we just need to remove the half eaten and dirty carrot left dangling in front of us.
We need to feed the world and learn to feed ourselves and ditch the car for something better.

Mousouheki: Distance from jobs or school is definitely an issues when it comes to trying to cut down on gas emissions. I think a good idea would be to have a public train system going through our cities and across the country. Have one come to each stop every 15 minutes or so. I think that would work well, if people were willing to support the idea and fund it. That's the problem with the government these days; all they seem to care about is money. Dude, seriously: North America has more money than it knows what to do with. We can make this work!

GONZO_JOURNALISM: ALL THE IDEAS ABOVE ARE GREAT, HOWEVER SOMEWHAT IMPRACTICAL. THE GEOGRAPHICAL SIZE OF CANADA FOR EXAMPLE IS MASSIVE. HOW DOES ONE TRAVEL HUNDREDS OF KILOMETRES WITHOUT A VEHICLE ? ONE DOESN'T. IN MANY WAYS I SEE NO CLEAR END TO THE VEHICLE ANYTIME SOON. IF FORCED TO CHOOSE OUT OF ALL THE VEHICULAR EVILS, I WOULD CONCENTRATE FUTURE R&D $ ON CLEANER DIESEL ENGINES.

Dragonmaster55: With all the technology in todays manufacturing world, you would think thay could build an engine that uses less fuel.

I recently told my wife that advertisements for cars haven't changed. Some companies are claiming their cars now get 38 mpg. Guess what Ford, GM and Chrysler; I got 38mpg back in 1974 with my Opel Manta Luxus! Mother was getting the same on her Toyota Corona! Where have you boys been?

GONZO_JOURNALISM: LOL. TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN DRAGONMASTER. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME.