World Carfree Day — 22 September
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.16.05
The TV news here the other night, reckoned that consumer spending is likely to dip, due to the high cost of oil and thus fuel for cars. Folk will be buying less, such as clothes and cosmetics, the pundits proffered. No mention was made of people driving less though. So it would seem more than timely that 22 September should be World Carfree Day. For a myriad of reasons this is great promotional event, but what caught our eye was a stat on World Carfree Network’s site. They suggest that “A car causes more pollution [in its production] before it's ever driven, than in its entire lifetime of driving.” This Saturday, in disgust at such nonsense, an estimated 10,000 cyclists are expected to hit the streets of Berlin. And over in Minsk, Belarus, there's a race to see which is fastest: car, public transport, or bicycle. (And we know who always wins these comps, don’t we?). So, don’t just sit there, pedal, walk, skate, run, blade, train, tram, paddle over to the international events site and see what’s going down in your neighbourhood. 1,544 cities in 40 countries, so we’re told. ::World Carfree Day
that's such a great idea. i wish they'd do a campaign like it in france (and everywhere else for that matter!).
Ah, but they do. Our posts are often just the tip of an iceberg. Gotta follow those links. Then you find this page, which is in French!
The little picture there is great. Its good to see that the eco-friendly people of the world are using a symbol of violence to further the cause. This guy is attacking people with a sword; will the next guy have a bomb strapped to his chest?
I believe the analogy being drawn is of a dragon slayer. A knight on his trusty stead, overcoming a much larger, seemingly invincible, fire-breathing monster.
(Where are the "people" being attacked?)
On the site, they also have a child drawing carfree day posters with crayons.
Geoff, think you are drawing a very long bow (excuse the weaponary metaphor) to suggest terrorism.
thanks for the link, warren. you and treehugger rule.
This is a nice little picture that gently dehumanizes people who drive tractor trailers (and in the background, cars). It says that it is OK to use voilence against "things" in order to accomplish your goals. I am making a connection between this and the proliferation of terrorism. This struck a with me chord because it is almost exactly like a flyer that I picked up on the streets of Baghdad encouraging people to attack members of the new Iraqi government.