City Council and Walking the Green Walk

WALKING THE GREEN WALK
Let’s see. There are some good people running for City Council, and what would it mean to me to be a really environmental candidate?

Easy, actually. It would mean getting to all the meetings and public events around town on foot or bicycle unless it was raining. All the commission meetings and city council meetings, and hospital meetings and Chamber of Commerce meetings and fundraisers and even going to the gym..

Town isn’t that big: Overlook Trail in the North, Lodge in the south, Garden Park in the East, Maxwell Village in the West. Walking the green walk to me would mean pledging to go to all these places, and the sweet small town inside that box, on all non rainy days and non rainy nights, on foot or bicycle.

But what of the nice cars? The Prius, the bio-diesel? Phooey to them. It’s not the emissions it’s the rut humanity is in where everything revolves around the car. It’s the disconnection from all one would gain on foot or bike: the views, the fresh air, the using of our own energy, the wonderful chances to cross paths with others.

And the example: showing people that we can live without a car. Especially in a town with the city limits as tight as they are in Sonoma.

And most important: the wonderful chance of showing people that it is okay to take a little extra time to slow down and live in the moment, even the getting to the meeting moment.

Which means nixing the other excuse, besides bio-diesel excuse ( by the way, if all the cars in the US used bio-diesel, it would take 120% of our cropland to grow fuel for the tanks, leaving minus 20% of land for growing food), the “I’m in a hurry” excuse or “Just on the way from somewhere else” excuse.

Doesn’t cut it..

Slow down in life. Leave the other place half an hour early. Go home. Stretch, smile, drink some water, eat something healthy (maybe better come home 45 minutes early), hug and frolic with the wife (maybe better come home an hour early). Then refreshed and slowed down, take the time to walk or ride a bike to the city council meeting or commission or fundraiser, or whatever. This is time to get in tune with nature and ourselves as living beings, beings that can lead fine and interesting and even much more wonderful lives in our times without a car.

Will anyone sign on?

Who knows. I’ll find out. Those that do, I’ll vote for. If not, no vote from me.