Date: 2010-02-20
To: Lace up instead of fill up.
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m not a Green advocate, although I¢m a Green enthusiast. Considered getting solar panels, but my houses orientation wasn¢t optimal, plus it would cost the equivalent of a dozen thru-hikes. Maybe thirteen? And that was with the Government incentive. Recycling has been going on here for a decade and all the light bulbs have been switched to those curly energy saver ones instead of the old incandescent. Haven¢t switched to a hot water on demand system yet, still have the typical, energy inefficient hot water tank. Someday.I¢m constantly recycling old timbers I find for my garden projects rather than getting new ones ¢ especially old telephone poles.The grandest gesture by far in reducing my footprint would be my increase in footsteps.By adding up my time afoot in the past five years, more than one entire year of it was spent on foot ¢ walking, hiking to be more accurate, about 5500 hiking miles and another 2000 walking and running rather than driving. In fact, my car insurance has gone down due to the lower motor miles, how¢s that for proof.Those of us who surrender car keys to hang limp on the wall nail and opt for laces, leather and toothy tread could maybe described as alternative energy Ambassadors. And obviously a thru-hike has its own rewards, but when you think about it, you¢re also a practicing Green advocate ¢ A Green Tunnel Ambassador.When your other car is a pair of hiking shoes, and you leave the motor cold for five or six months, it¢s hard to count up the benefits. First your fitness will improve, your perspective on life may also. Your car may also appreciate in value thanks to lower mileage and insurance rates may reduce as mine did ¢ sort of a hidden discount to the hike expenses.According to some scientist that had nothing better to do on the Science Channel, a large oak tree can produce enough oxygen for two families of four, an impressive feat! I started to wonder how much gas saved, ozone depletion avoided, air quality improved, highway litter vanquished would result from thru-hiking? One person, giving up driving for six months, that¢s a lot of carbon dioxide and stuff that never happens. A thru-hike may be a true-life grand adventure in a world that has long forgotten how to have one, but it also seems to be a colossal foray into the world of alternative energy. Some other scientist figured out that eating celery used up more energy from chewing that it delivered as human fuel. Maybe there¢s a real Dr. Emit Brown out there who can turn banana peels and flux-capacitors into motion lotion?I love mechanized travel ¢ saved me many a mile getting into many a trail town. People love cars because of the freedom they provide¢¦that, and they just love cars. I love my hiking shoes and backpack for exactly the same reason. They¢re quite empowering, don¢t you think? Imagine how much oil would be saved if everyone walked one day a week or didn¢t buy 9 mpg Hummers? I¢ve heard from another scientist that if we all would just keep the proper air-pressure in our tires, it would be worth more oil than what could come out of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge ¢ Amazing. So, congrats to all of you choosing to lace up rather than fill up this season, I salute you.