Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:25:24 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Shoulder injury dangers, was Re: Gen Set
In-Reply-To: <4AF2FFEA.2070402@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I was recently visited by a buddy who's a former diesel vanagon owner.
He sold it two years ago because he wanted to 'reduce his carbon footprint'
by not owning a car...even a 40+ mpg VW camper was "too much" impact for
Daniel and Helen..
He's headed to the desert southwest for the winter, where they have a
second house..very small.. He's been taking the train for this trip now for
two years, from New Denver, BC to Borrego, Ca. Very proud of himself for
not driving...
So while I admire the intent, the reality goes like this: He gets a
friend (in an F-250 pickup) to bring him from Canada to near Portland, where
we live. We mess around, driving in my vanagon for a few days, then I drive
him to the train station and off he goes. Another friend makes a trip from
Borrgeo over to San Diego to pick him up at the train station and take him
to Borrego. Couple of hundred miles, round trip for the friend(s).
The total miles traveled by car by everyone involved in getting Daniel to
the train stations so he can 'save the world' by not driving his diesel
vanagon easily exceed what he'd have done if he kept the old westie and just
used it for the trip south...Plus, I don't know what kind of MPG an Amtrak
train gets, but when I put him aboard here in the Gorge, there were only
about 15 passengers on that train...Probably it would be less 'carbon' per
mile if he maybe drove the Westie, point to point... Just sayin'
Great idea, not very realistic implementation of the idea...
On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 8:40 AM, mark drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:
> With all this patting of ourselves on the back it is a wonder that we
> don't have a lot of shoulder injury threads. Something to look forward
> to maybe.
> This week I did not attempt to save the world from the curse of humanity
> so maybe my shoulder will be ok for a while yet. Good thing, since I
> have a lot more Vanagon work scheduled in the next few months. Is it
> still ok to talk about Vanagons here? Is there a particular day when
> Vanagon topics are allowed?
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> Dave Mcneely wrote:
>
>> On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 11:39 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>
>> I am a bit surprised at responses
>>
>>> that we are environmentally destructive or insensitive to others needs
>>> for
>>> quiet.
>>>
>>
>> Dennis, no offense meant, but your statement reveals the problem. Folks
>> who believe they are entitled in this way ARE the problem. I have
>> family members who say that they have earned these things because they
>> can afford them -- so long as one has the money, they don't see it as
>> problematic. Well, anyone who thinks about others and the environment
>> readily sees the problem. Those of us who have the money have a
>> particular responsibility to try to do things in a responsible manner.
>>
>> I live in a climate where most people believe they must have their house
>> cooled to 70 F in summer (from 100 F) and heated to 75 in winter (from 0
>> to 10 F). I find I can get along quite comfortably without air
>> conditioning, and with my house heated to 65 F in winter. I have spent
>> quite a lot of money to upgrade my insulation and windows, and to do
>> other things to conserve energy.
>>
>> Yes, many of us must reduce what we use. Smaller houses than the
>> McMansions that became popular would help, too. The earth is finite.
>>
>> David McNeely
>>
>>
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