In Ethan's post about the Curie High School's Bike-a-Thon,
he made a great point about beating gas: We often associate gasoline
with transportation, but many fossil fuels are used in the home, at
work, and in school.
At home, we use gasoline without even thinking about it-- the products we buy and the foods we eat
are produced and shipped around using gasoline, and many common
household chores require petroleum products. For example, mowing and watering the lawn both require large volumes of fossil fuels whether they're being burned at a power plant or inside the lawn mower.
Some people take a lot of pride in their lawnmowers... it's a shame that there isn't a trend toward hybrid mowers yet!
Here at PlayCity, we're all about using sports to solve these sorts of
problem. At the moment, we're running a contest for photos and videos
about kids like you, doing just that. The Beat Gasoline
photo/video contest is up and running now, and winners could receive
Global Giving cards, alternative transportation (ie a bike), or
packages full of Nike gear.
If you could figure out how to make a gas-free version of lawnmower racing,
or an organic, local version of speed eating contests, you'd impress
the heck out of me, and you might have a chance at winning one of those
prizes!
Our enduring love affair with gasoline is problematic, to say the least. In a world with volatile gas prices, air pollution, carbon-induced climate change, questionable long-term access to foreign oil, and a surge of huge gas-guzzling vehicles taking over the roads, there's one lingering question on my mind:
What are we going to do about it? How are we going to shift away from a car-based transportation structure that requires burning fossil fuels?
More specifically, how can you move from point A to point B without driving? How do you use sports to Beat Gasoline?
I'll tell you what I do. I ride my bike everywhere. I walk. I hitch piggy-back rides from friends. I dance down the street, and climb trees, and balance precariously along abandoned train tracks. I rely on human power as my primary form of transportation. I fuel my vehicle with fruits, veggies, and sometimes nachos.
Yet there are so many more human-powered travel options. You can use skateboards or roller blades. You can move with a scooter, snowshoes, a unicycle, or a pogo stick. You can travel by horseback or kayak. You have the freedom to go car-free, and you can get there using your own muscles.
A few years ago, I rode my bicycle all the way from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon in about eight weeks. Trust me, it can be done, and you can have a total blast getting to where you need to be without the constraint of cars, insurance, auto maintenance, speed limits, drivers' licenses, gasoline...
[Right: A pic of me riding through Montana in July. Man, it felt great to traverse the country on two wheels. Well, three wheels if you count my yellow trailer, Bob.]
I know you all have some great ideas about how to use sports to Beat Gasoline. Here's your chance to show the world how it's done by entering the Beat Gasoline contest.
That's right, we're offering some cool prizes—like Global Giving dollars and Nike kicks—to the best video and photo submissions that illustrate how you play instead of burning gas. So bust out that camcorder, film a short video, submit it to www.beatgasoline.com, and show others how we can use sports to Beat Gasoline.
A few years ago, I rode my bicycle all the way from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon in about eight weeks. Trust me, it can be done, and you can have a total blast getting to where you need to be without the constraint of cars, insurance, auto maintenance, speed limits, drivers' licenses, gasoline...
