Oregon's Gov. Ted Kulongoski rides his bike to work to set an example

[depakid]

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, known for outdoorsy pursuits, hopped on a bike Monday and pedaled the two miles from his home to the state Capitol in what he acknowledged was a largely symbolic gesture for a greener world.

Then he called on thousands of state workers to follow his lead by finding alternate ways to get to work, whether by bus, carpool, foot or bicycle. That's the best way, Kulongoski said, to reduce emissions that add to global warming and fight the nation's dependence on foreign oil supplies.

"The only way this country or this state can make a change is, every single citizen has to understand there's a lifestyle change coming," Kulongoski said. "That's the message."

The comments came on a day when gas prices averaged more than $4 a gallon in Oregon, and at a time when climate change and oil consumption have emerged as top environmental issues around the globe.

Kulongoski, an ardent walker and canoeist, said he plans to avoid driving to work as often as possible over the summer. Typically, state police drive him to the Capitol in one state car, followed by a second state car, part of the governor's security protocol.

If he bicycles or walks, two of the security officers accompany him as they did Monday, with one car following. That cuts the number of car trips in half.

Kulongoski said there will be days when he has to have both cars at work, and he acknowledged that private citizens often must have their cars available. But he said he wants to shrink Oregon's carbon footprint one commuter at a time.

He challenged the 8,500 state employees who work in the Capitol Mall area to do something other than drive at least one day a week -- a change that could cut 500,000 pounds of carbon emissions this summer, he said. In doing so, they would also save themselves hundreds of dollars apiece at the gas station, he said.

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1212463504299070.xml&coll=7

[GliderGuider]

1. "every single citizen has to understand there's a lifestyle change coming"

Wow. That's a pretty bold statement for an upper-level pol to be making.

While I think his recommendations are largely ineffective window-dressing, with that one statement he opened the window itself.

[phantom power]

2. The American way of life -- now reopened for negotiations!

[depakid]

4. In my experience, Oregon public officials "get it"

about climate change and peak oil. When I worked at the Oregon State Office Building, both were common topics of conversation "at the water cooler," and I'd guess that a good 1/4 to 1/3 of the employees in my department rode and/or took light rail on a regular basis.

That said, words were often parsed in official statements and publications- though as I mentioned in a previous post, the Department of Energy sends its analysts out for public outreach presentations, where they speak in far less uncertain terms.

It's easier to engage citizens and openly discuss matters in Oregon that would be anathema in most other states, due to the unique character of the place; a character that's been cultivated over much of its history.

Governor Tom McCall's farewell address in 1975 sums it up timelessly:

But it is not in the Oregon style to dwell on goodbyes. Though we full understand that the past gives us our foundation and our generating guidance, we are most ardently concerned with the future and how to get there.

Let me leave this assembly today the way I entered it: full of hope for tomorrow and actively at work helping to realize the hope.

I do have hope for the future, particularly for Oregon’s future, Beyond that (even) I feel certain that Oregon has a place in the destiny of world leadership . . . that this state is a lodestar for the wavering pace of the American society.

Let us continue to be that star.

If there is a single hallmark of the Oregon character, it must be citizen initiative.

We in Oregon do not wait for answers to be handed down to us . . .

We assess the ever-changing situation and respond with our own action.

WE do not celebrate a problem.

We set about to make things better by trying solutions.

WE are creative, and we trust our intuition.

We do not like to wait for the inevitable . . . we send scouts to stalk its approach.

Throughout the nation now there is a faint, cold fear that veins to haunt the shadows.

This mood must mot be allowed to fasten and grow.

Oregon is in an ideal position to lead the attack against this most dangerous enemy of representative government --- the phantom of fear.

Oregon has never been terrified of change, but it also is cautious in meeting and channeling the flow of affairs.

Let’s continue to be that way.

Our approach throughout our history has always been . . . this is Oregon; Oregon is special; Oregon will find its own destination just as it blazed its own trail.

And now, there is a new sense of pride in Oregonians as more of the world begins to notice us and wonder about us and listen to us.

So let’s export the Oregon system, now when it’s needed most.

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/governors/McCall/farewell1975.html

[NNadir]

3. Good for him. This practice is good not only for the environment's health, but his own health as

well.

Believe it or not there are people who drive to health clubs to ride stationary bikes.

[depakid]

5. Reminds me of this classic photo:

[phantom power]

6. That is hilarious. And at the same time clinically depressing.

[Shoelace]

7. he's only about 8 blocks away from capitol and it's mostly downhill but hey

I give Ted an A for effort. I honestly love the guy! Then again, he's got to peddle 8 blocks uphill to get back home, lol. Good on you and I do hope the state workers follow your lead.