Dear Emily, Written by Emily’s dad.
Hey Sweet Pea. I am so proud of you!
That was a great letter, now…how old are you again? ;) I appreciate your passion on the subject, and don’t worry Emily, your not going to die because of the environment. You will be fine and the Earth will be too.
Your teacher is correct that there are issues we need to deal with.
I promise you, there are people working on the problem right now. Scientists, inventors, car companies, energy companies, governments, and people like you.
I am all for your idea. Bicycling to work sounds great, and I have been thinking about it a long time. I have been driving a car for transportation since I was 15 and it is hard to change that habit. I was thinking the other day how silly it was to even drive to the grocery store like we do on Saturdays to get a week worth of groceries. Your Mom and I, and you, could bike or walk there since it is only .9 miles from our home. We could carry the groceries on our bikes, or put them in back packs, and carry bags. Wow, it is that simple and it sounds like an adventure.
Regarding you bicycling to the movies with your friends we will have to ask your Mom. I will look into that more. One thing for sure Sweet Pea, you will have to wear your helmet. And I do not want you to think I do not trust you, it is other people that concern me, like people driving and texting or talking on their cell phones.
Walking to places with your friends I am fine with, we have already talked to you about that. I think that is a really good idea. I will do more of that myself and I bet Mom will too!
I will go to the library tomorrow and get bus schedules to see what our options are for that.
I am with you on this Emily, but give a little time for the change, it may not happen as fast as you like. I am not sure what your Mom will say. Your sporting events may be a issue, especially that it is turning into fall and the days are shorter. But I guess we can figure out a way to carpool you girls together. Also, in bad weather, we will use a car at night, for safety reasons, if it is day, we will take that on a day by day basis. Again, I have to think of your safety.
I am excited for you Emily. Why don’t draw up a schedule of places you have to go and how you want to get there and bring it to me and we will plan this together with Mom.
Love,
Dad
Promoting healthy: bodies and minds, environment, and communities. The result of car-free/ car-lite life style.
My dad biked to work my entire childhood, year-round. He started when I was a baby when he was an officer in the Navy - I'm not sure what his title was, but it had something to do with conservation of resources. So as a personal example, he rode his bike to work on the Navy base. Then continued once we moved off base. I still remember him coming home from work with icicles in his beard during winter months.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, his office relocated about 30 miles away. He tried biking there, but 2 hours each way proved impractical. So now he bikes to the Park'n'Ride lot, and takes a bus. Still conserving resources, 30 some years later!
Wow, thanks for sharing!
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