{"id":17057,"date":"2019-02-06T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T17:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=17057"},"modified":"2019-02-11T14:16:26","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T22:16:26","slug":"open-space-we-have-to-stop-driving-cars-before-its-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2019\/02\/06\/open-space-we-have-to-stop-driving-cars-before-its-too-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Space<\/em>: We have to stop driving cars, before it\u2019s too late"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A First Nations perspective on sustainability suggests looking ahead seven generations. But we might not have time for that: maybe we could just look ahead a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this planet of finite resources it has become suddenly urgent to consider our current unsustainable path. The most recent report of the International Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we have just 12 years to change. Drastically. Difficult to hear? Try to listen with open ears and see the elephant in the room. Realize this: we must quit driving cars. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or perhaps you think we can just keep on driving. It\u2019s all very well to protest pipelines and point fingers at the oil and gas industry, but I\u2019m reminded of the 1980s, when we\u2019d block logging roads and urge foreign nations to boycott BC\u2019s wood industry. Meanwhile, I was a carpenter, and everyone I knew lived in a wood-frame house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
This story originally appeared in our February 6, 2019 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s not pretend the answer is simple. Europeans had to learn to think like the third little pig, but they only began to build walls with brick and roofs with ceramic tile when wood became scarce. It\u2019d be nice to take the same wait-and-see approach to our fossil-fuel use. Unfortunately, climate disasters demand we act before the fuel becomes scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always been disgusted by the waste left behind in the world by millions of thoughtless drivers. It never made sense for 200 pounds of human to take 2,000 pounds of metal everywhere. It doesn\u2019t make any difference if it\u2019s electric. This will be a tough road to follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, my colleagues and I were a roofing crew with a van.  We could\u2019ve just kept on the way we were going, but someone stole our van. We were irate at first, but life confronts us when we aren\u2019t in harmony. Anger is a signpost pointing to a change. We soon saw the loss of our van as an opportunity. We decided to turn around and go back to biking to work, which meant hauling all our equipment (ladders, tools, scaffolding, tarps) in three massive trailers\u2014difficult, but eventually we figured out solutions. We worked closer to home. I eventually got an electric bike. I hauled with it for six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, someone stole that electric bike. At first, I was upset. Anger was not useful. I had to admit I have different needs now. I\u2019ve gone back to college and haven\u2019t been roofing for nearly six months. I had to let go of my ego\u2019s attachment to that property. My only wish is that whoever has it now is making better use of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change doesn\u2019t have to be your reason for ditching your car. I enjoy my pedal bike and I\u2019m losing the spare tire around my waist that came with the e-bike. Otherwise, I ride the bus and enjoy the opportunity for conversation or study on the way to school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not governments or corporations make changes, you can get out of your bubble. What you\u2019ll lose you never owned anyway. What you\u2019ll find is a path truly your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A First Nations perspective on sustainability suggests looking ahead seven generations. But we might not have time for that: maybe we could just look ahead a few years. On this planet of finite resources it has become suddenly urgent to consider our current unsustainable path. The most recent report of the International Intergovernmental Panel on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-views","category-february-6-2019"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17057"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17058,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17057\/revisions\/17058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}