Protests at car shows are becoming a somewhat regular thing (see below), and if the activists had better press people (i.e., someone who sent us a tip or two before the event), I'd be happy to give them a mention before things go down. As it stands, we get more love from automakers than auto-haters .We can argue about some of the anti-car activists' points, but if there's one thing I like it's a message to Drive Less, and it's usually the activist community that's making these points.
Which brings me to the Chicago Auto Show Shutdown. On Feb. 10th, they created the 8th annual shutdown event, with a critical mass bike ride, a party and a clever website with videos, comics, and blog entries. The Auto Show Shutdown folks take a more out-there stance on cars than most people. As Auto Show Shutdown member Todd, who wrote in to AutoblogGreen, said, "As you probably know, there is no such thing as a 'green car'. Whether you want to look at direct use emissions, manufacturing, the infrastructure required, or the associated issues related to car culture like the suburban model, cars aren't green in any sense of the word. [...] Sure, some are worse and some are better, but they're all pretty bad. (And not just for direct environmental reasons.)"
I suppose on some level you can't argue with Todd and the Auto Show Shutdown crew (note: I'm refraining from using the abbreviation here out of respect, but I'm thinking they should come up with a new moniker, pronto), but cars are getting better and better (some of them, anyway). Living car-free is not for all of us (to be fair, that's not exactly what these particular activists are advocating), but any group out there that wants to encourage the reduced-car lifestyle is trying to make things greener and cleaner for everyone.
Related:
[Source: Auto Show Shutdown]
Which brings me to the Chicago Auto Show Shutdown. On Feb. 10th, they created the 8th annual shutdown event, with a critical mass bike ride, a party and a clever website with videos, comics, and blog entries. The Auto Show Shutdown folks take a more out-there stance on cars than most people. As Auto Show Shutdown member Todd, who wrote in to AutoblogGreen, said, "As you probably know, there is no such thing as a 'green car'. Whether you want to look at direct use emissions, manufacturing, the infrastructure required, or the associated issues related to car culture like the suburban model, cars aren't green in any sense of the word. [...] Sure, some are worse and some are better, but they're all pretty bad. (And not just for direct environmental reasons.)"
I suppose on some level you can't argue with Todd and the Auto Show Shutdown crew (note: I'm refraining from using the abbreviation here out of respect, but I'm thinking they should come up with a new moniker, pronto), but cars are getting better and better (some of them, anyway). Living car-free is not for all of us (to be fair, that's not exactly what these particular activists are advocating), but any group out there that wants to encourage the reduced-car lifestyle is trying to make things greener and cleaner for everyone.
Related:
[Source: Auto Show Shutdown]
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