Tiny Choices Q&A: If you were President?
By tinychoices | September 5, 2007
Welcome to Tiny Choices Q&A, where we open the floor for discussion on questions which ya’ll have submitted (read the first list of questions here).
Traditionally, Labor Day starts the serious portion of election season off. And this year, I’m sure you’ve all noticed that the U.S. Presidential Race is gearing up EARLY. A whole year in advance! So for this week after Labor Day, we have a question for all of YOU!
If you were President, what would your first environmental executive order be, and why?
We’ll go first:
Karina: I would require all cars to be built with a standard manual transmission, and only permit people with physical needs to drive automatics. It sounds crazy! and extreme! but there are a few reasons why: 1. it would increase the U.S. Fleet gas mileage by a few miles per gallon because manual transmissions are inherently more efficient than automatic; 2. It would cut down on traffic, because no one wants to drive in stop and go traffic with a stick shift - so people would drive smarter, and tie-ups based on stupid stuff would be reduced; 3. It would allow car manufacturers to build cars with much smaller engines that would still perform like race cars on highway entrance ramps (saving even more fuel); 4. It may cut back on accidents - it’s really hard to drive a manual transmission while eating giant burritos, applying makeup, and/or talking on a cell phone; and 5. It may even cause people to use public transportation more - when driving to work is less like zoning out on your couch and more like actually DRIVING, taking the bus is a lot more attractive. Plus, people will want to avoid the stop and go traffic in big cities.
I recognize that this is a fairly unelectable platform, but it is my little dream.
Jenn: I would run on a (completely unelectable platform) of “Quality Goods Made In The Good Ol’ USofA”… for multiple reasons: We’re being buried by our own trash, and we as a nation need to start buying higher quality goods-if our stuff is higher quality in the first place then we’ll have to replace it less frequently- thus, less broken crap in the trash. And if it’s produced locally and purchased locally (let’s pretend that the whole USA is “local”) then that adds up to less transportation costs (monetary and environmental), which adds up to less pollution, and potentially lower costs and higher profits. Ideally the goods would also be made of locally-source materials in the first place, further reducing environmental impact. The goal really would be for people to start buying less crap overall, and higher-quality crap when necessary.
How about you? what’s your secret Presidential Strategy?
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Topics: Q&A | 16 Comments »
16 Comments
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I’d pardon all the turkeys (and chickens, cows, pigs and fishies).
Yah, I vote for Sangu! :)
Going vegetarian is one of the best ways to help save/preserve/enhance the environment. There are many websites/blogs out there … I remember this one from lighter footstep: http://lighterfootstep.com/the-easy-way-to-give-up-meat.html
Go forth and multiply, turkeys chickens cows pigs and fishies!!
I would launch a crash program on the scale of the Manhattan Project or Apollo Program to get 50% of Americans traveling to work via some means other than the personal automobile. It will require a serious look at what transit options work best for a given area, as well as incentives for workplaces to situate themselves near public transit. The problem in NJ is what I’ll call The Last Two Miles…. with sprawl the norm, most of us can only get to within a mile and a half of our workplaces via train or bus. I’m a believer in rail transportation, which is efficient and brings the benefit of permanence - businesses and people can feel confident locating themselves near rail stops because they’re hard to reconfigure while bus routes can be undone with the stroke of an official’s pen. More cities are adding light rail to their layouts every year, because it worked in the past, and it can work again.
that’s a great plan! I’m not as big a light rail fan as you are - but I think the transportation study is something everyone can get behind. those last two miles get me for sure.
those last two miles get me for sure.
Perhaps this is where the folding bike concept really comes in handy…
if they were a few hundred dollars cheaper, I would be so there!
I would, amongst other things, require manufacturing companies to take responsibilty for their waste as well as forcing them to recycle the waste they get back from consumers. Like a bottle bill, except for trash and other recyclable materials. According to zerowaste.org 2% of all generated waste (as of 1998, EPA’s statistics) is municipal. And considering that 133.3 million tons of municipal trash got landfilled in 2005 (245.7 total, the rest got either burned, composted or recycled, stats via the EPA (pdf) industrial & manufacturing companies have a lot more they can divert from the waste stream.
I would also make recycling a lot more profitable to reclamation companies or at least subsidize them with money we’re spending on war helicopters.
I love it! you could call your platform the “responsibility platform!”
Jenn, Not completely unelectable when combined with a fair day’s wages for a fair day’s work in the good ole USA. There are few good manufacturing jobs left where people can raise families on these salaries. Combine this with local jobs being created in sourcing materials and that’s a good thing.
Well at least I know I’ve got one vote, sister!
Enviromentally, I’d want to revise the school lunch program and agricultural subsidies. Of course, this would only come after pushing through a decent minimum wage and tying it to the average national wage, as is done in other civilized nations.
great idea! but speaking of unelectable platforms, those ag subsidies are going to make it tough for you!
I would run for president (in the US as you could do with a Brit in charge!) on an improved public transport system policy to get people out of their private cars - so use buses, trains, transits, trams, bike shares (as per Amsterdam and other european cities), electric car/moped shares as alternatives
Needs to be cheap, accesible, clean, have a frequent service at the key times of the day - don’t penalise people with high fares at peak times and have good links at key local and national transport nodes.
At say a city centre terminus there will be bicycles that can then be used for free on presentation of a valid public transport ticket and credit card deposit for the day to get to your micro destination be it workplace, office or meeting place - return the bike and get deposit back
Longer journeys should allow wireless portals for mobile workspaces, break out meeting rooms on trains for example, internet cafes
Each journey would come with a carbon credit based on distance - run like a loyalty card scheme so if you absolutely need to take a flight or fill your car with gas you have to have minimum number of carbon credits to buy a ticket - say 20% of the total carbon rating for that journey.
Any votes?
you had me at publicly available bikes!
Hell, I’d vote for you just because of your accent.
:)