After many many months of hemming, hawing, and making up excuses for why I couldn’t, I brought my bike to work today and rode it home. (Since I left my car there, I’m really hoping it doesn’t rain tomorrow morning.)
Initial thoughts on bike commuting:
It’s shorter (by distance) and only slightly longer (by time). Since I’m taking a more direct, as-the-crow-flies route (as opposed to the highway), i’m shaving off a couple miles from the commute. Plus, since I can use the bike/curb lane and generally don’t need to wait for traffic, I can maneuver much quicker.
Office buildings need showers. I got pretty sweaty riding home. That’s fine if I have a shower to jump into, but at work I’ll need to use the gym’s shower facilities. My frustration is that the people who run our gym refuse to entertain the concept of bike commuters using only the showers for a reduced rate. (I’m not planning to pump iron while at the office.)
Very pleasant way to start/end the day. Unlike car commuting, when I have to constantly be thinking about traffic and watching for bad drivers, bicycling is very relaxing. I’m still watching for bad drivers, but I found my mind much clearer. I think it has something to do with the exercise component.
Total gasoline used : 0 gallons!
You should try it! I used to think it was too far, too many busy roads, too this, too that. Unless you try it, you’ll never know if you like it.
I went to the MREA Energy Fair yesterday with my friend Chris. It was really great to see so many people excited about renewable energy, conservation, and green living. Here are some photos :
As you may or may not know, gas prices have more than doubled in the last year. Ouch. Politicians and pundits love telling us how this is “problem” is going to get solved. As I’ve recently explained, supply-side economics are not going to change the price of oil. What’s left? Demand.
And, believe it or not, it’s already happening! The U.S. DoT issues a monthly report of highway miles driven. For two consecutive months, Americans are driving fewer miles than we did a year ago. That’s right, the invisible hand of the market is working! Huzzah!
This raises a very important point : We need to let the market work. This means we must not mess with the gas tax! (Unless we raise it, to accelerate the process of moving beyond oil).
Keep this in mind, as one of the two presidential candidates (hint : the old, white one) wants to slash the federal gas tax. Let me repeat it once more : The market is working! Hands off, Washington!
While I was checking my Google feed reader under the Energy section, I stumbled across a graph that looked a little too familiar. The colors and overall design instantly grabbed my attention. Was this a GE pitch?
Indeed, it was. GE Energy Financial Services is trying to politely explain to the U.S. Congress that it’s a good idea to offer incentives to build wind energy projects. (This is the same U.S. Congress who routinely gives out hundreds of billions of dollars in oil production incentives.) It seems that just as the U.S. was on the way to catching up with the rest of Europe in renewable energy production, the fightin’ 110th decided to yank away the credits.
GE’s position is simple : by creating thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in new tax revenue, building wind projects makes financial sense–even if Congress must first pay out some incentives. The net gain from 2007 was $250 million. Not bad, considering that doesn’t count the environmental benefits of wind vs. coal, gas, etc.
I’m a libertarian and don’t like subsidies in principle, but this one seems to make sense. Unlike coal, oil, and other fossil fuels, wind has a very high ratio of jobs per megawatt. It’s probably one of the few subsidies that literally pays for itself. We would be completely foolish in taking a huge step backwards by repealling the production tax credits.
