Crystal Clear

To other cyclists:

• Stop biking on the sidewalk – that’s the most dangerous place to cycle!
• Why are you biking the wrong way down a one-way street? (Although I do this on occasion myself) And why are you doing that at night without any lights on your bike?

To drivers:

• It is safer for everyone if you signal your turn!
• Don’t honk your horn to let me know you are there. I can hear your vehicle from quite far away and your horn is incredibly loud. (All drivers should test their horn by having their kid honk it while they stand in front of the hood. Use horns sparingly around cyclists!)
• Please don’t cut off bikes – you could be delayed by just 10 seconds and go behind me, especially if you’re passing me and then slowing down to turn.

To people:

• Please stop wasting all that water washing your sidewalk / driveway!

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After biking to work for the last month and half since starting my job, here’s a quick list of what I’ve learned:

• take responsibility for your own safety
• don’t allow yourself to get upset about drivers as you’ll lose concentration on your safety
• summer construction means I get to pass cars frequently
• find the right path to your destination by trying many (right path = least stop signs + least busy streets)
• rain is only a deterrent (plus I need fenders!)
• there are lots more people biking and more cyclists means it will become normalized and safer
• designated bike lanes are very beneficial; interconnected ones without gaps need to be the goal (dreaming about Amsterdam)
• biking to work is so wonderful, I’m very thankful!

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On Earth… the problem had been with cars. The disadvantages involved in pulling lots of black sticky slime from out of the ground where it had been safely hidden out of harm’s way, turning it into tar to cover the land with, smoke to fill the air with and pouring the rest into the sea, all seemed to outweigh the advantages of being able to get more quickly from one place to another – particularly when the place you arrived at had probably become, as a result of this, very similar to the place you had left, i.e. covered with tar, full of smoke and short of fish. (from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)

Satire and humour sometimes get to the absurdity of our life in a way regular speech often can’t. And, it can help us step back a minute and think about what we’re really doing with our actions and decisions.

Because reading articles about the problems with the sealants we put down on our driveways (Environmental News Network, and US Geological Service) doesn’t always have the same shock factor nor encourages us to change our actions, like:

1. Drive less and use / encourage alternative types of transportation (transit, walking, bike lanes / paths, trains, etc)
2. Put in a different driveway – gravel, interlock, grass / interlock or ‘grassy pavers‘ and the like
3. Support restriction of harmful chemicals – like coal tar and the like

We’re always going to need to travel and move around. But maybe we can think about doing it only as much as needed, not doing it needlessly, and doing it in the least destructive way possible.

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1. They are more sanitary than toilet paper
2. They use less water than what is used to manufacture toilet paper (okay, I probably knew that)
3. They are popular around the world except in North America
4. You can get an attachment for your existing toilet for $100 US

(http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4948)

Washing with water vs. wiping with dry paper. We know paper doesn’t work for babies (that’s why we have wet wipes) so why do we think it works for kids and adults?

Check out the Blue Bidet for more details and health benefits. Alternatively, you could consider using a diaper sprayer to achieve the same effect, like a friend of mine does.

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A few years ago (2007) the CBC did a story on the regulations on food products and how product of Canada could mean only 51 percent of the ingredients and production were Canadian.

So, that ‘fact’ was stuck in my head.

I was looking today for some labeling regulations for another product (ingredient of ‘white whole wheat flour’ – what does that mean?) and read the regulations for Product of Canada.

A food product may claim Product of Canada when all or virtually all major ingredients, processing, and labour used to make the food product are Canadian. This means that all significant ingredients are Canadian and non-Canadian material must be negligible… Generally, the percentage referred to as very little or minor is considered to be less than a total of 2 per cent of the product. (Canada Food Inspection Agency)

So, that’s pretty good! Product of Canada means ingredients and processing done in Canada. Yay! I’m glad to have my mind’s facts changed on this!

On another note, Imported by or Imported for which a Canadian address / company tell you virtually  nothing about country of origin. Hopefully that too will change and we’ll know where all our food comes from.

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Great video on climate change, and how the positive feedback mechanism could take us from a short man made adjustment to huge temperature changes out of our control.

It also explains the ice age / habitable continuum well, in my opinion.

It’s cute and tells a good message – it’s not inevitable if we act soon / now!

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

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