BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

fabulous idea

I think the issue would be verifying mileage.

bicycle computers?

that is a cool idea

Definitely an interesting idea. I also like, a dime for every calorie burned, sponsored by one of the health care giants.

I echo the sentiments about the Honor System. Works for me just fine. Get money or braggadoccio involved, all bets are off.

I contend that money is not really all that important. If it were, the streets would be clogged with bicycles, not cars. Instead, it's mainly about information (nobody knows how much $ they'd be saving on a bike), it's almost as much about fear (some of it well placed, but out of proportion to reality), third about laziness/comfort/vanity (can't have helmet hair or get a speck of dirt on my clothing or breathe hard let alone sweat on my way to work).

Get past that, then we can talk about carbon offsets. Meanwhile, simply write a check or press the website buttons to send $ to Bike-Pgh.

Based on the fact that it is acceptable for corporations to buy offsets by leasing acreage of rainforest as carbon sinks, and that is an "estimated" figure as well, I mean, who knows if that particular acre of forest is really pulling it's weight - if anyone was to get huffy about verifying the actual miles cycled to the nth, I would politely ask them, to, ok, go measure the exact amount of carbon that your rainforest is absorbing.

Also having these "lessors" ejecting indigenous people from their lands in order to claim rainforests as carbon sinks is another ethical issue entirely. The idea of individuals cycling voluntarily as a carbon offset has far fewer ethical problems.

Well thanks for letting me know this is not currently happening. I kind of have a bug in my bonnet on this one. I will do some research.

http://www.cheatneutral.com/

Puts carbon offsets in a different light.

I have an issue with the car-free calculator. Kind of an old curmudgeon kind of issue.

It seems to me to support the idea that the unnamed normal way of getting around is by car and you are doing something exraordinary by not using one.

I not sure if this makes sense to other folks, but it reminds me of people that ask me if I'm still riding my bike. ("Yeah. Sure. Are you still wrecking the environment, supporting corrupt corporations, and killing Arabs?")