I'm just a guy with a brain, a heart, and an opinion, and this is my forum to put them together. I'm more mainstream that many other environmentalists like. I will usually shop at Walmart, and if I need something and it's wrapped in a big silly fru-fru plastic display package, I will still buy it with little hesitation. I will cram a weeks worth of camping gear into my minivan and drive it all over on a camping trip just to see the sights, and love every minute of it.
But... I will also gladly climb on my mountain bike and ride 6 blocks to the grocery store, and buy local produce if it's there. I'll set my cruise control at 55 mph while I drive all over the place in the van.
I like this modern world, and some parts of my lifestyle are indeed harmful to the environment. The harm I do is not for the sake of "Keeping up with the Jonses", or because I gotta drive 45 miles to see that new movie (yeah, the nearest theater for new movies is 45 miles away), an any other such vanity. The harm done is for the sake of living a life in modern America that I can look back on and be satisfied with. In that, I have to consider my wife, family, community, career, ethics and morals, and the environment. The older I get, the more ways I see that I can do better in one or more of these areas, and so I do. For me, the balance is what matters most, not any one thing.

http://www.workingonwise.com

My environmental objectives: Show people that having multiple vehicles for specific purposes is financially and environmentally more responsible and more reasonable than having a one-size-fits-all mentality, which usually ends up being a vehicle too big and too carbon heavy and too e

Things I would like to change: Sustainability, Appropriate use of resources, protecting and enjoying the Great Lakes, Reducing carbon footprints without living like a bush man from a hundred years ago :)

Activities: Blogging about energy, automotive and transportation subjects, mostly about reducing our appetite for energy in ways that mainstream America will actually consider.
Working on getting 40+mpg from my 13 year old minivan, and then teaching others how I did it.
Building small ultra-efficient vehicles for driving around the neighborhood in when the only thing to carry is one or 2 people and a few bags of groceries.

Interests: Biking, camping, my dogs, my family, cars, cooking, computers, alternative energy,

Favourite music: I dig lots of music. I gravitate to songs with a truthful, uplifting, "real" and "building" lyrical message. MercyMe, Casting Crowns, Mariah Carey (especially her early work), Plumb, Barlow Girl, Creed, Kansas, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Coolio, Amy Grant, Alanis Morrisette, early Jewel, Garth Brooks, and a hundred others....

Favourite films: Erin Brockovich, Mr. Hollands Opus, Good Will Hunting, With Honors, Patch Adams, A Walk To Remember, and Tucker.

Favourite TV shows: The Commish, Mad About You, Star Trek TNG and Voyager,

Favourite quotes: By three methods we will learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius

Political views: Pretty much if a politician speaks, it lies. Maybe not all of them all the time, but enough of them enough of the time that it's wise to be cautious.

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