whee - winter campaign!

[Duck on Wheels]

AHA! The secret's out. Lph works for the Norwegian national power company. What's the lowdown on water levels in the resevoirs? Has our mild Fall helped any?

As for company health and sports programs ... pretty much every largish company has one. At my university they've combined the employee sports program with the student sports league. I get to use the student gym for about $70 per semester . There's also a swim night at the city pool once a week, orienteering races twice a week in orienteering season, ski trips, huts we can rent for hiking or skiing, some canoes we can borrow, etc. etc. All pretty cheap. But then again, that means there's no excuse for being a couch potato -- except that the work load is such that I just collapse and fall asleep after dinner every day. Next semester should be better though (teaching fewer courses) so my 2007 goal is to work out enough to get a head start on the bike season (I'm not a winter biker ) and then get in good enough shape to ride to Hell'n'back before Fall. I've done the distance and then some last season, but the "road to H'll is paved over hills". If I make it to Hell'n'back early in the season, I can stretch the route longer by going up to our cabin and taking the backwoods route (gravel roads) home.

[lph]

Dang! I should have realized you would recognize that sign

Actually I work with licensing hydropower plants, with a side job as a glacier monitor a few weeks a year. And as far as I know nothing EVER helps the price of electricity...

[Duck on Wheels]

Æsj! Energy prices probably _should_ go up, as long as we make sure we have a decent tax and social security system so the poor don't bear the burden alone. When I asked about the state of the resevoirs I was more concerned about the ecosystem than about what I'll pay for heating here this winter. We do our best to save (timers that set lower temps during the day when we're at work and night when we're asleep, quick showers, switch off appliances when they're not in use ... the least one can do, but every little bit helps) and we can afford what we do use. But can the globe afford that we're using it??? What "price" will our kids have pay, or our grandkids (if we're ever so lucky)?

[lph]

<total hijack of my own thread>
I agree, energy prices are way too low here, talking of an "energy crisis" as long as people build huge houses with heated driveways and outdoor heated Jacuzzis is just plain ridiculous.

But we are lucky enough to have a clean power source (as long as we're not importing energy, that is, to support those driveways and Jacuzzis ).

Re the ecosystem, I'm more worried about the idea that it's a human right to drive a car, or worse, take a plane, anywhere you feel like, or at least anywhere you can afford. And that greenhouse gases are somehow somebody else's problem, preferably a politicians'. A colleague and friend of mine was on Norwegian TV yesterday (Dagsrevyen) telling how all our glaciers are receding and losing mass. I help in with these measurements every year. Glacier melt is one of the first and most sensitive signs of climate change, and the signs are absolutely unequivocal. It really makes me sad to think that my son won't be able to see the same glaciers I see today, not to mention all the serious effects like flooding in other parts of the world.

Sorry, got a bit carried away here. <steps off soapbox>

[emily_in_nc]

Re the ecosystem, I'm more worried about the idea that it's a human right to drive a car, or worse, take a plane, anywhere you feel like, or at least anywhere you can afford. And that greenhouse gases are somehow somebody else's problem, preferably a politicians'. A colleague and friend of mine was on Norwegian TV yesterday (Dagsrevyen) telling how all our glaciers are receding and losing mass. I help in with these measurements every year. Glacier melt is one of the first and most sensitive signs of climate change, and the signs are absolutely unequivocal. It really makes me sad to think that my son won't be able to see the same glaciers I see today, not to mention all the serious effects like flooding in other parts of the world.<steps off soapbox>

lph, I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, I'm in the minority here in the US. If all cars and planes were suddenly banned, I'd jump up and cheer. I read articles about the polar bears and penguins and other creatures harmed by glacial melt, and it just breaks my heart. So, I donate to organizations that help, but it seems like such a small thing to do when we live in such a fossil-fuel-based country and the population of fossil-fuel burners just keeps increasing day after day.

Sigh....

Emily

[Kitsune06]

but heated jacuzzis are nice...

If travel could even be minimized, I'd jump and cheer. People in airports who *have* to get there at *that time* drive me nuts. Sorry, I'm that chick leaning on her luggage eating either food I brought with me or something cheap, thinking about sleeping until my flight gets in- it's late? no rush. Whenever, man...

To completely close down those types of travel would be unreasonable, but I know what you mean.

As far as heated driveways etc go, it boggles my mind the kind of vacuously huge houses people will build for their family of four (that could house maybe 30 people in a foreign country) with all these rediculous ammenities, a hummer in the driveway and a game of golf to 'get them out in nature'. Gimme a break. A golf course is so far from 'nature' they can't even be compared.

These will be my new gripes about my new job, because the above describes 9/10 of the folks there.

[Tri Girl]

I LOVE your winter campaign idea (great pic, by the way)! I also love the summer campaign idea! Your company sounds really wonderful being so supportive of your edeavors, and of the planet. Wish we could see more of that around this country.

Heated driveways? Ginormous Hummers and Escalades guzzling all the gas. Sheesh... could we waste anymore of our natural resources... simply amazing at the egoism of some people...

I'm kinda "glad" (although that's the wrong word) that America isn't alone in it's abuse of the globe (although I'm quite certain that we're mostly responsible for the destruction of the planet both physically and economically, thank you Wal-Mart and gasoline engines).

Sorry, didn't mean to hijak, but couldn't resist.

Tri Girl (a tree hugger whenever I get the chance)

[nuthatch]

... If all cars and planes were suddenly banned, I'd jump up and cheer. ...

Emily

Continuing the thread highjack.....

This is one of my favorite fantasies while I'm riding. All the internal combustion mysteriously quits working and nothing but self-propelled vehicles are using the roads! Until I need an ambulance, that is!

Just think of those poor slobs who never notice the geese honking over their heads while they get to work, who arrive at the office looking gray and tired instead of flushed with health! I had to stop and watch the sandhill cranes on their migratory route this week - so beautiful!

No reason we can't all give thanks this week, where ever we are riding!