Fathers letter to his 11 year old daughter

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

Childs letter to parents regarding alternate transportation

Written by Emily D. an 11 year old


Dear Mom and Dad,

I learned about the environment today at school. My teacher, Mr. Kellar, told us that the future of the Earth rest on actions of the people of the Earth. He says global warming is a real threat to our existence. He had some very impressive facts and names of scientists I have never heard of, and gave us a reading list to back up his points.

Mom, Dad, I am scared. I do not want to die, and I do not want to hurt the planet.

 One of the solutions Mr. Kellar told us about is finding alternate ways for people to transport themselves. If people stopped using fossil fuels on a “unlimited” basis, there may be a chance damage done could be reversed. I believe him.

I have heard you both talking about global warming, we have seen news reports, the Earth Day special we watched on TV, and we even have some books in the house that talk about it. I even remember about Dad saying he had a environmental science class in college that talked about it?

I am confused; since Global Warming is real why do have two cars?

And…why do we use them all the time. Why do other people do the same thing when they know that one of the major contributors of global warming is car use?

Can we change as a family? Can we use alternatives for transportation, like walking, bicycling, and buses? When we are in the car I see other people who do not use cars. I think it would be good for the environment and it would save you money. Dad, if you bicycled to work you would probably loose that “spare tire” you are always talking about and Mom if you walked to work you would not have to drive to the gym everyday to work out.
My friends are asking their parents the same questions. We understand change will not happen overnight, but we know we can make change now by; walking or riding our bikes to school, carpooling to sporting events, walking to the grocery store and restaurants, staying closer to home and enjoying the parks close to home rather than driving to places we do not need to go.

Mom and Dad I love you. I want to feel safe that the world will be around when I am your age and I want my children to be safe. I am only 11, but I understand the problem.

So tomorrow, I will be riding my bike to school, I can do that everyday. In winter when there is snow, I will walk, I can do that. When I need to buy something I will walk or ride my bike to the store. My friends and I will go to the movies on the weekends and we will walk or bike there, if it is dark when we are coming home we can carpool home if we walked. If we need to go farther, we can take a bus. And I want to bicycle and walk with you two. Will you please make changes and allow me to?

Love,
Emily
(At the parents request her identity will be kept confidential)
Please share.
The parents letter will be published next.

Elizabeth Kiker, VP League of American Bicyclists, Car-lite Profile

Tell me a little bit about you (name, age, occupation, car-free or car-lite, where you live).


"Elizabeth Kiker, 36 years old, Vice President of League of American Bicyclists, car-lite, Arlington, Va."

When did you start using a bicycle for transportation and what effect has it had on your life?

"I started riding my bike to school in fifth grade, started again in college, and started as an adult in 2003. I was working at an association in Fairfax, Va. I’m a terrible driver, so I took the train and bus to work every day. I noticed that my entire commute had a bike trail that I could easily see out of the train and bus windows. One day, I decided to use it. I was riding an old mountain bike, and it took me a LONG time, but I loved it. I became obsessed, encouraging colleagues to ride, meeting them at their houses in the early a.m. to show them how to ride in, and riding all year round. When I saw the job opening at the League of American Bicyclists, I wrote an impassioned letter they still tease me about. The gist was: You MUST hire me! And they did."

Please describe a typical day in your cycling life?

"With two children under two, I don’t do a lot of recreational riding anymore. I do ride 7 miles each way to work, four to five days a week, all year round (excepting the blizzards this past February!) "

What kind of bike(s) are you currently riding?

"As a gift when my son was born, my husband and parents bought me a custom pink Waterford. I will ride it forever. "

In your opinion, what’s the best part about cycling for transportation?

"The mind boggles! There are so many answers. The sunshine is my favorite one. The freedom. The views! (I live in Arlington and commute to DC via Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Monument, and the White House …) The way it helps me lose my baby weight. The cost!"

What’s the worst?

"… pause … snow!"

Do you have a favorite car-free/car-lite story? (Something that really makes you smile or could possibly encourage others to use a bike instead of a car for transportation?)

"I have so many! Some are from when I went out of my way to ride … like riding to Baltimore to meet friends for lunch (50 miles each way) or riding 10 miles out of the way to meet a colleague and show him how easy it was to ride to work. I do love every commute in the summer—I always try to stop and offer help to cyclists in need. Last week I saw a guy pushing a bike and offered him a tube or air. He said no thanks, that he was close to his hotel, and I rode on. The next day, at the same place (almost) I saw another guy pushing a bike. I stopped to help and he said, “Didn’t I talk to you yesterday?” It was the same guy! He was a tourist in town and had been low on air the previous day and then had a blow-out the next day. Both days he declined my offer of help, but it was fun to chat."

What are three pieces of advice you would give to someone starting/ considering commuting by bike?

1. "You can do it!"
2. "Have someone show you a good way to get to work by bicycle --- it most likely won’t be the way you drive. "
3. "Don’t worry about all the gear --- just ride the bike you have and use a backpack, and then buy stuff later."

 What changes regarding transportation would you like to see in the United States?

"More bicycle friendliness! More complete streets, more transit options, many, many fewer short car trips, and a lot more design for bicyclists."

Do you recommend cycling to friends/family members/youth or others? Have any taken you up on it?

"My dad commutes to work every day in Houston, Texas and my mom commuted before she retired. I’ve inspired at least 10 friends to start bicycle commuting, and my husband is even more dedicated to it than I am. I love spreading the word about riding to work!"

Anything else you would like to add?

"I love learning more about what bicycle advocates—people just like me, all across the country—are doing to transform their communities for bicyclists. My favorite League program is Bicycle Friendly America, where we certify communities, states, and businesses that are leading the way in bicycle friendliness. Find out more at http://www.bikeleague.org/!"

Note from Car-Free American: The folks at the League of American Bicyclists are fighting for the rights of cyclists and the education cyclists and those interested in cycling. These are the people promoting cycling on a national level. I would encourage you to take a look at their site and see all the great things they are doing for us.

Their mission: "To promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America."

is it just me-or does this stuff bother you too?

I think the two most important things are the health of the planet and the awareness of humans asking themselves a question-do I need it or do I want it?

The Planet is a given, but yet most of us choose to ignore the crisis because we may not be feeling the effects of global warming-we may see it, but do not FEEL it. Feel -not just physically, but mentally. Or maybe you do, but are ingoring it??? Do you know someone whose kids have asthma? Have you noticed changes in the weather? Do you or friends have to be on medications-say for anxiety or depression? These symptoms are typical of polluted environments.

If you start up your car in your garage, door closed, and have limited ventilation, after a while you will die. The planet is finite, it can only handle so much. But yet we continue to pollute it? Crazy.

So you auto makers have had the technolgy for years to put us in zero emission cars, and we, they and govt has know the negavite effects of CO2.  But yet we still let them build cars that ultimately poision us, our children, and our planet. We have cures to this cancer, but yet it is suppressed so people can line their pockets with money that will not help them when they are dying.

I think of it this way: If someone found a cure for cancer, but then hid it from the world so the current supply of cancer meds could be used up so the drug companies and associates would make money and not lose money, but millions of people die, even though there was a cure, would that not be criminal???

The same thing is happening today. The cancer(pollution, global warming, CO2). We have the technolgies to stop the majority of the poisions from going into the air, specically automobiles who use fossil fuels.  If a car company or govt has the technology to stop the cancer, but does not and keeps making and selling things that are posioning us and the planet-like the above scenario-millions of people are dying because of the CO2 pollution and worse the planet it dying. We dont need CO2 polluting cars-now the cure-electric, hydrogen, natural gas is available.

Hey, this is my planet too! I do not want to be posioned anymore. Nor, I assume, do you.

I asked a quesiton on Facebook the other day but go not response: When your kids come home form school, and they just learned they Autos are the #2 polluter/ and major cause of global pollution and they ask you: Why do we have so many cars, or a big suv, or why do we have something that hurts the planet, or do we really NEED our car?

What do you say?

Someday they, or you will ask.

I did  not edit any of this post or any others, I want to give to you what is on my mind. As most of you know I bike and walk for transportation. I see the pollution out there everday. I know no one can be totally Green unless you get naked and move to the woods. ;)

But I feel the need to share my thoughts and I hope you will share your thoughts with me-you dont have to agree, I welcome your opinion.

Tell me your thoughts?