Climate Cycle's founder says: "Don't Blame BP" ?!

 A Letter from the Executive Director
Photo: Tricia Koning
Joey Feinstein


Dear Climate Cycle supporter,

As an organization, Climate Cycle is founded on the belief that each one of us can make a difference that benefits us all. As the founder and executive director of Climate Cycle, I consider it important to improve how I align my actions with this basic tenet.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of what many are
calling the worst ecological crisis in US history, and it's washing up on
American shores. As we call upon BP and politicians for answers, let us
not ignore it is we Americans who consume five times more oil per capita than the average world citizen.1 Although BP negligently ignored safety warnings and took shortcuts, they are filling our demand like other oil and
energy giants. Much like BP, we too are ignoring nature's safety warnings with our ever-rising consumption of fossil fuels.

Over time, issues like energy have become
Photo: Telegraph.co.uk
BP oil spill
increasingly politically contentious. Yet it was W. Bush's 7th State of the Union Address that he declared "America is addicted to oil." As unnerving as the rallying cry of "drill baby drill" is to many of
us, it is the message that is sent to oil rigs and volatile regimes all
over the world every time we fill our gas tank, whether white, brown,
Republican, Democrat, man or woman.

At 12:40 p.m. today, I am flying to Brussels, Belgium. The arrangements have been made by the
U.S. Mission to the EU so that I can share ideas on sustainability and
education with European delegates in the days leading up to Europe's
Earth Day on June 5th. It is an awesome honor. At the same time, the irony
of traveling in a gas guzzling jumbo jet across the ocean to discuss
issues of climate and energy is an unsettling juxtaposition. For all I know, this plane could be filled with fuel from underwater wells like the one that is gushing out of control.

Although it is easier to look back 1,000 years than forward 50 years, the oil
spills lining our seas pale by comparison to what catastrophic climate
change could look like within our children's lifetime. Society is
dragging anchor and in danger of ecologically capsizing.
Photo: Tricia Koning
Polaris Climate Cyclists
Where this will exactly lead nobody knows, but we must beware of the rocks. As in times of great crises, it is imperative we each do our part to stem the tide.

To this end, upon returning from Europe, I pledge to donate my car to charity and convert most of my long distance travels from airplane to train. While such decisions require increased travel time commitments, until the crude method of combustion we are reliant upon is rendered obsolete,
time is of the essence in reducing our fossil fuel riddled ways.

Let us not allow the miracles of the modern age we all enjoy become dynamite in disguise for the children we love. Together, we can ensure that our greatest dangers become opportunities
for a societal renaissance on par with the Industrial, Space Age and
Computer Revolutions.

To refueling our future,Climate Cycle logo
Joey Feinstein                                                                             
Founder and Executive Director


1 WorldWatch Institute - http://www.worldwatch.org/node/808




His e-mail subject was: Don't Blame BP
Many of us got this e-mail.

This guy is suspiciously wrong .
This enormous environmental disaster was not caused the end users of the fossil fuel.
11 workers were killed by BP and it's policies not by the end users of the fossil fuel.
90%+ of the blame clearly is at BP's door.
1 for allowing  the accident in the first place.
2 for lobbying to change  the rules that allowed them to get away with it.
This lame argument is like saying that users of electricity are responsible the the 29 dead coal miners at the recent coal mine disaster instead of blaming the mine operators. Or like blaming children for lead poisoning of themselves, for wanting  toys instead of blaming the Chinese manufactures.
Has this guy turned into a corporate slug?

I say:
BOYCOTT BP -------and Boycott  all it's parts
am/pm mini mart
ARCO

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-BP/119101198107726
http://www.earthyreport.com/site/boycott-bp/
http://www.citizen.org/page.aspx?pid=3311
http://boycottbptshirt.com/
http://www.fubp.org/


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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on June 3, 2010 at 8:52am
Now we're talkin'!

Natalie said:
Actually, the most effective change would be for humans to become extinct.

H3N3 said:
Not sure why you need to discount the effect of choosing not to drive-- it's the single most effective change most of us can make. The argument that you have to either reduce your ecological footprint to zero or not even bother is childish and depressing.
Permalink Reply by Dubi Kaufmann on June 3, 2010 at 9:04am



No one is benefiting from this leak except Nalco share holders

http://industry.bnet.com/energy/10004387/how-warren-buffett-may-pro...
Permalink Reply by Glenn on June 3, 2010 at 9:49am
I agree with him. Its every ones fault. Obviously some more then others but consumers aren't spot free clean on the situation either.

For now though, who is at fault is absolutely irrelevant. EVERYONE needs to help clean this sh*t up. Cry and point fingers later. First things first
Permalink Reply by JKH on June 3, 2010 at 12:52pm
I do not discount the effect of choosing not to drive, on the contrary I think it does good for society and the environment. What I said was it is not enough and that we need to do more.

At no point did I make the argument that we need to reduce our footprint to zero or not bother. On the contrary I advocated for people to actively take part in helping reduce the environmental impact of construction, shipping and agricultural. I also said we should all do what we can about the BP mess.

My whole point about elitism is if you work at a desk it's easy in Chicago to not own a car. I went car less for two years during my last job and loved it. With Chicago traffic not owning a car is about as self-sacrificing as deciding not to punch yourself in the balls. I could get a desk job if I wanted but I truly believe that by using less than half the fuel most people using my job do and by encouraging others to do the same I'm having a much more positive impact than if I had different job and no car.

It's easy in Chicago to have a life moving from one pocket of liberalism to another preaching to the choir. I think the real challenge is figuring out a way to preach to people that can effect substantial change. Convince one shipping manager at a mid size company to ship by train instead of truck and you've just saved 25,000 gallons of diesel a year. My point is people with environmental consciences in industries that use resources could make huge change for the good.

H3N3 said:
Not sure why you need to discount the effect of choosing not to drive-- it's the single most effective change most of us can make. The argument that you have to either reduce your ecological footprint to zero or not even bother is childish and depressing.

JKH said:
It is impossible to live in our society without having a negative environmental impact and it's not enough to say I don't drive. What are you actually doing to decrease pollution? My point is that running away from the physical world isn't helping at all. Things need to move, be built, be grown and best way to help is to figure out how to do it better.

Of course we all are responsible for the current mess and we should do what we can and part of that should be boycotting BP
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 4, 2010 at 3:57am
I feel it's in the overall tone and it could be me picking up on the general vibe I often feel from the car free that anyone who drives a car is evil and part of the problem.

Think of it as me being overly sensitive because of every time on a list-serv, message board or at a bike related event I have to listen or read about how anyone who is 'stupid' (and I have had people tell me anyone who drives is stupid), drivers are 'killers,' driving a car is a aggressive choice and every other piece of rhetoric I have to hear.

I do a job that supports the industries that provide society with it's basic, and not so basic needs and have for years; before that I kept airliners running on time When I point out that my job, one that is pretty crucial to the everyday lives of many people on this board, requires me to drive and use fossil fuels I get told I should just go find a new job? Is it lost on everyone how ignorant a statement that is?

People preach to me about social and environmental responsibility and act like my choice of careers makes it impossible for me to care about any of those thing when I make choices every day to try and, within the confines of my business, make the right choices about both of those things. You can be a part of the 'problem' and still be socially responsible; I left a very good position with General Motors some years ago because I felt it was a morally reprehensible job! I use my skills where they are needed and bring me the funds I need to live my life.

H3N3 said:
Can you show me where anyone has expressed this "concept" in this thread?

The concept that you can not being doing good for the world if you drive a car or use petrol to do your job is close-minded, elitist and in the end more damaging to the cause as a whole because it turns off people who are not as dedicated as you are.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 4, 2010 at 6:54am
Well I'm overly sensitive, like a cheerleader, so we'll call it even...

I don't know about the desk job thing but I think that a lot of people who live car free or dedicate themselves more then the average joe to being 'green' tend to hold the attitude that their choice is somehow 'better' then other peoples and I am not sure I agree with that. It's different, and I think it's better, but who am I, or anyone else, to judge these things? The most we can do is what we think is right and hope the rest of the world does the same.

I have no disdain, beyond envy, for those who are car free. At this point in my life I only have a work vehicle and no personal car so I am part way there...

H3N3 said:
I was in a crappy mood and having a bad day during my previous posts, sorry.

Overall, though, there are different messages that need to get out at different times to different audiences in the course of trying to create social change, and if you happen to party to a message that's meant for a different audience I think it would be healthier to acknowledge as much and move on.

I've been at this for 10 years and I can't even remember a small percentage of the times I've gotten the "the time is not right" or "that message turns people off" response to the message that we need to move away from the personal automobile as our dominant mode of travel.

Like anyone's going to get back in touch with me and let me know when the time is right . . .

I still don't get the desk job/elistism thing, sorry-- it sounds like you're expressing a bitter disdain of anyone who is left-leaning and has quit car ownership, but I still can't figure out exaxtly why.
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on June 4, 2010 at 7:27am
Well, it is better not to drive a car, all else being equal. All else isn't equal for lots of people, and they should drive cars.

For what it's worth I think there's a lot of zealotry of the newly converted in these conversations. My parents raised a whole family pretty much car free and vegetarian and they manage not to harangue people about these topics in every other conversation they have, even as they do try to get people to think about their lifestyle choices. As these things go the guy who's most hardcore about insisting everyone in a car is a murderer is the one most likely to end up tooling around Wilmette in a Ford Navigator, so whatever.
Permalink Reply by JKH on June 4, 2010 at 8:38am
H3N3 said:
I still don't get the desk job/elistism thing, sorry-- it sounds like you're expressing a bitter disdain of anyone who is left-leaning and has quit car ownership, but I still can't figure out exaxtly why.

What your picking up on is not disdain but frustration that some people, such as Clark, feel comfortable telling someone else that they should find a new job. Even the greenest life style has negative impact and there is an essential hypocrisy in telling people who make your lifestyle possible to find a new job. It's much more productive to have a dialogue and lead by example.

I come from an ultra liberal, urban and activist background. My political leaning are borderline socialist. It's because of this background that I've become frustrated with the classist attitudes of so much of educated white America. Racial slurs are unthinkable but people feel comfortable saying white trash. I'm taking this a bit far but I think it's important for people to realize that attitudes like this are alienating potential allies and are ultimately counter-productive. I have no problem with radical environmental messages just don't start the conversation with, "You suck."
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 4, 2010 at 8:41am
Dr. Doom is not a villain.

Dr. Doom is the benevolent dictator of Latveria; his poor public image is the result of an anti-Latveria campaign mounted by the Czechoslovakian Chamber of Commerce and that mangy curr Reed Richards.


Dr. Doom is a hero to millions.
Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on June 4, 2010 at 9:02am
Dr. Doom said:
Well, it is better not to drive a car, all else being equal. All else isn't equal for lots of people, and they should drive cars.
For what it's worth I think there's a lot of zealotry of the newly converted in these conversations. My parents raised a whole family pretty much car free and vegetarian and they manage not to harangue people about these topics in every other conversation they have, even as they do try to get people to think about their lifestyle choices. As these things go the guy who's most hardcore about insisting everyone in a car is a murderer is the one most likely to end up tooling around Wilmette in a Ford Navigator, so whatever.

This is a conversation about an oil disaster on a bikey forum though, so it seems inevitable that there would be some discussion that spills over the line between civil discourse and haranguement.

Your family sounds really cool and you were lucky to be raised by them.

Expecting us to behave here as if we were at one of their parties is not realistic.

I'm already working on a draft of my next self-help book What Would Ma & Pop Doom Do?
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 4, 2010 at 10:57am
Does it make me a total nerd that I want a Latverian flag?
Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on June 4, 2010 at 11:44am
notoriousDUG said:
At this point in my life I only have a work vehicle and no personal car so I am part way there...


Work's got to get done, bikes and tools have to get shipped unless backyard smelting really catches on.

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