Interview [bicycling, family]
Apr. 19th, 2020 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterOne of my students wanted to interview me for a campus sustainability newsletter, but of course the interview got sidelined for a while by all the coronavirus upheaval. The request came in the context of me winning the Sustainable Commute Bet last fall - which really felt like cheating but it served my larger purpose/agenda of connecting with other campus bicyclists.
So just yesterday, they finally just followed up by email to ask: "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about why you bike to work and what sustainability means to you."
I figured I would put my reply here because it was nice to have a chance to reflect and respond, and I thought a number of you might appreciate it.
My perspectives on both topics have been deeply influenced by my upbringing and my family, especially my father. Over his lifetime, especially while growing up in the mountains and valleys of Montana, he spent a lot of time outside, hiking and exploring and bicycling, and through those activities developed a strong love for the planet we all inhabit. He also came to feel that it was important for all of us as individuals to take responsibility for our impacts on the planet, so he raised myself and my brother and sister with this in mind, the idea that we should always consider the impacts of how we live on the communities and broader world around us. We also grew up spending a lot of time outside and because of this my siblings and I also developed a love of the outdoors - all three of us are biologists!
Thanks to this upbringing, and thanks to growing up in a city where it was relatively easy to get around on foot, by bus, or by bicycle (even as a kid on my own!), I never felt like it was urgent to get a driver's license. I could take the bus or ride my bike to school and to sports practices, and could easily carpool at other times. I already had the freedom and ability to get to whatever places I wanted to go to on my own, so driving just wasn't important to me. It wasn't until I was about to start graduate school that I finally did get a driver's license because it seemed like a good idea to be able to drive for conducting fieldwork.
I also almost bought a car at that point, but the thought of having to deal with all of the expenses and uncertainties was so stressful that I changed my mind at the last minute and started grad school in Arizona with just a bike for transportation. Arizona was eye-opening: when I first moved there, I was the only person I knew who didn't own a car, and I encountered a lot of people who acted as though this was an extremely unusual decision that must be incredibly inconvenient and dangerous. I also encountered streets and drivers that were more hostile to bicyclists than what I was familiar with in my hometown in Seattle: in Arizona, the main streets are wide and straight with 50 mph surface speed limits, so they are incredibly dangerous for people on bicycles - not to mention, extremely unpleasant! But instead of just giving up, I decided to learn more tricks for how to ride safely in traffic, and over time I also got connected with other people who didn't own cars either and who rode bikes for fun and for transportation.
And this habit has just continued with every new place where I've lived. I'm usually careful to pick places to live where it's relatively easy to walk to important things, like the grocery store and the college, and spend a lot of time scouting out good bike routes that rely on bike trails and back roads. So for me the question has been more like, why would I NOT bike to work, when I already know that it's great exercise, fantastic for stress relief, better for the planet, and fun? And while it can be tough to saddle up and ride to and from work on days that are cold and rainy, or where there's a chance of icy conditions, I never have any regrets as soon as I'm out the door. And I still think driving would be too stressful and too much of a hassle. So I wouldn't trade my bike commute for anything. In the winter, I do sometimes wind up taking the bus instead, and if anything that has only reinforced my love for the bike commute. I would note that the days when I take the bus are also days when I would definitely NOT want to be driving because those are the times when the weather conditions are so dangerous that I think the driving is best left up to the professionals. Plus I can then get some knitting or reading done!
Lastly - my dad passed away just last spring from cancer. Because a huge part of my connection with my dad comes through bicycling, my bike commute has also become a time to process my grief.
So for me, sustainability means living a low-impact lifestyle to the extent possible - reducing my fossil fuel consumption as much as I can, minimizing the waste I generate, and maximizing the things I both enjoy and value, like riding my bicycle and thinking about creative ways to weave in reuse to my life.
So just yesterday, they finally just followed up by email to ask: "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about why you bike to work and what sustainability means to you."
I figured I would put my reply here because it was nice to have a chance to reflect and respond, and I thought a number of you might appreciate it.
My perspectives on both topics have been deeply influenced by my upbringing and my family, especially my father. Over his lifetime, especially while growing up in the mountains and valleys of Montana, he spent a lot of time outside, hiking and exploring and bicycling, and through those activities developed a strong love for the planet we all inhabit. He also came to feel that it was important for all of us as individuals to take responsibility for our impacts on the planet, so he raised myself and my brother and sister with this in mind, the idea that we should always consider the impacts of how we live on the communities and broader world around us. We also grew up spending a lot of time outside and because of this my siblings and I also developed a love of the outdoors - all three of us are biologists!
Thanks to this upbringing, and thanks to growing up in a city where it was relatively easy to get around on foot, by bus, or by bicycle (even as a kid on my own!), I never felt like it was urgent to get a driver's license. I could take the bus or ride my bike to school and to sports practices, and could easily carpool at other times. I already had the freedom and ability to get to whatever places I wanted to go to on my own, so driving just wasn't important to me. It wasn't until I was about to start graduate school that I finally did get a driver's license because it seemed like a good idea to be able to drive for conducting fieldwork.
I also almost bought a car at that point, but the thought of having to deal with all of the expenses and uncertainties was so stressful that I changed my mind at the last minute and started grad school in Arizona with just a bike for transportation. Arizona was eye-opening: when I first moved there, I was the only person I knew who didn't own a car, and I encountered a lot of people who acted as though this was an extremely unusual decision that must be incredibly inconvenient and dangerous. I also encountered streets and drivers that were more hostile to bicyclists than what I was familiar with in my hometown in Seattle: in Arizona, the main streets are wide and straight with 50 mph surface speed limits, so they are incredibly dangerous for people on bicycles - not to mention, extremely unpleasant! But instead of just giving up, I decided to learn more tricks for how to ride safely in traffic, and over time I also got connected with other people who didn't own cars either and who rode bikes for fun and for transportation.
And this habit has just continued with every new place where I've lived. I'm usually careful to pick places to live where it's relatively easy to walk to important things, like the grocery store and the college, and spend a lot of time scouting out good bike routes that rely on bike trails and back roads. So for me the question has been more like, why would I NOT bike to work, when I already know that it's great exercise, fantastic for stress relief, better for the planet, and fun? And while it can be tough to saddle up and ride to and from work on days that are cold and rainy, or where there's a chance of icy conditions, I never have any regrets as soon as I'm out the door. And I still think driving would be too stressful and too much of a hassle. So I wouldn't trade my bike commute for anything. In the winter, I do sometimes wind up taking the bus instead, and if anything that has only reinforced my love for the bike commute. I would note that the days when I take the bus are also days when I would definitely NOT want to be driving because those are the times when the weather conditions are so dangerous that I think the driving is best left up to the professionals. Plus I can then get some knitting or reading done!
Lastly - my dad passed away just last spring from cancer. Because a huge part of my connection with my dad comes through bicycling, my bike commute has also become a time to process my grief.
So for me, sustainability means living a low-impact lifestyle to the extent possible - reducing my fossil fuel consumption as much as I can, minimizing the waste I generate, and maximizing the things I both enjoy and value, like riding my bicycle and thinking about creative ways to weave in reuse to my life.
