Things We Can Do To Save The Environment - Issue No. 15 - Move to a High-Rise

If you currently live in a high-rise, or about to move into one, then by all intent and purposes - you are helping our environment.  How?  Well, considering that you're likely living in a smaller place, means less gas and electricity.  As the article states below, people living in cities such as New York, are living in really tight places. The smaller the area, the smaller the carbon footprint.

Ryan and I enjoy living in the suburbs.  We like our quiet, peaceful life; If we want a little noise we can always take the 15-20 minute trip south into Houston.  Hey, we have a Prius C - we're helping the environment dammit!

Giving credit to TIME,  I'd like to thank them for showing us the many ways we can help save the environment.  Just one person can make a difference, and it starts with YOU!
 
                                                   ~ Peter aka Blade7184  

15. Move to a High-Rise

If you're a true environmentalist, a dyed-in-the-wool greenie, then why not pack up your leafy rural home and move to New York City—preferably to a tall building right in the middle of Manhattan? 

The Big Apple is home to the greenest citizens in the U.S. Relatively few New Yorkers own cars—one of the biggest contributors to an individual's carbon emissions. Most walk, bike or ride public transit to work—all more efficient transport than the best hybrids.

And New York has developed up, rather than out, which limits wasteful sprawl. Eight million New Yorkers are squeezed into 301 sq. mi.—less than a fortieth of an acre per person. Even a fairly dense suburb devotes about a third of an acre to each person. Density means that commutes, shopping trips and supply chains are shorter. Plus, New Yorkers tend to live in small spaces, although they're a little cranky about it. The denser the area you call home, the smaller your personal carbon footprint—not to mention your gas and electricity bill.
 

Make sure to follow Blade 7184 every Tuesday for a new issue of Things We Can Do To Save The Environment.  Each issue is thought-provoking, informative and may hold the key to saving your children and grandchildren's future.  Please feel free to click on my logo to read any of the back-issues.

Central Park From Above

For the New Yorkers who see this everyday and it's nothing new, but still mesmerizing.  And for those of us who have never been and are fascinated by these type of images...

A glorious view of Central Park from up above.

Can You Run As Fast or Faster Than Ryan Hall?

Think you can keep pace with an elite marathoner?  Back in November, Asics dared anyone to race their ad.  

For the 2011 New York City Marathon, Asics wanted fans to truly experience a champion marathoner's 26.2 mile pace so they installed a 60-foot video wall and challenged people passing by to race Olympic marathoner, Ryan Hall for just 60 feet.  

Pretty cool stuff.

Forever Our Wonder Woman!

If there's one thing conservatives hate, it's celebrities who have supported us us through the years. But what they really, really despise, is when they are as iconic as Lynda Carter. You are Forever Our Wonder Woman!

Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, with Wonder Girl @ Gay Pride NY, 2011

Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, with Wonder Girl, Debra Winger, Circa 1977

Bike Lanes Suck

So how do you prove that bicycle lanes are the dumbest thing in the book?  Just tape a video of yourself crashing into things.

Last week, I posted a great video by Ron Gabriel, on the expansion of bike lanes in New York, and the issues that have arisen because of it.

This time around, Casey Neistat wishes to let everyone know he got a ticket for not riding on the bicycle lane.  He informed the officer that bike lanes were not safe, hence, the video below.

IT'S A 3-WAY STREET

"By summer 2010, the expansion of bike lanes in NYC exposed a clash of long-standing bad habits — such as pedestrians jaywalking, cyclists running red lights, and motorists plowing through crosswalks. By focusing on one intersection as a case study, my video aims to show our interconnection and shared role in improving the safety and usability of our streets. The video is part of a larger campaign I created called '3-Way Street'."

Videographer, Ron Gabriel couldn't have stated it any better.  Towards the end of the video below, he also states that, "There are 12,370 intersections in NYC, 74% of crashes happen in intersections, and 4 people are killed or seriously injured every day."

After you watch the video, you'll see how crazy it is.

Top 5 Most Segregated Urban Areas In America

And you thought segregation was a thing of the past.  Maybe you should think again.  I found these demographics quiet astonishing, but it is what it is.

The other 3 cities after the jump...

The New York City Subway Stripper

Only in New York City would you see something like this, not in Houston.  Are you kidding me? This would be breaking news on our all our local news affiliates, and I'm sure our local Fox station would have a field day with this.  I just can't imagine anyone doing this on our Metro Rails.

Folks riding the subway L train in New York were in for a shocker when "Alejandro" removed his clothes, and started working the pole, in heels no less.  A Missy Elliot song was playing in the background, as other passengers pleasantly joined him with their own style of dancing.  I especially love how everyone had their cell phones out capturing the hotness before them. LOL

Where Were You On That Cloudy September Day in 2001?

"I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children." 

These were the words broadcast late last night, as Ryan and I watched President Obama explain what had just happened. He had given the order to kill Osama bin Laden after months of secret intelligence briefings kept under wraps from the American people and the world.  

"Last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden," Obama said. "It was far from certain. And it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we could locate bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside Pakistan." 

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," the president continued. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body."

I moved to Houston from Corpus Christi on August 16, 2001, and in less than one month's time, one of the most memorable events in our nation's history took place.  I remember sitting down as a PBX operator at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center when the news broke out, "the towers in New York have been hit by a missile!" someone yelled.  At that moment, everyone jumped and ran to the main lobby to see the real-time events on the big screen.

We knew that one of the Twin Towers in New York had been hit, but no one was sure what it was.   A few minutes later, the world watched unimaginably in shock, as another plane hit the second tower.  You couldn't hear a pin drop as everyone gasped and covered their mouths - our eyes open, and our hearts beating a mile a minute.  

Tears ran down our faces as we saw the images of people jumping for their lives and the anguish people were feeling while this was happening before our very eyes.  The last time I felt so heartbroken was back in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger, with all it's crew on board, exploded.   

Never in a million years did I expect another horrific moment to happen before my very eyes.

"It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history," Obama said. "The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction."

"The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts," Obama said.

 "Tonight we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counter-terrorism professionals who have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome," Obama said. "The American people do not see their work nor know their names, but tonight they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."

And I couldn't have said it better myself when Obama thanked our U.S. Military for Sunday's operation that they, "exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of burden since that September day."

A Huge Shuttle Show Down - It's Texas vs. New York

Things are getting ugly between Houston, Texas lawmakers and their counterparts in New York City, New York.  The War of Words started Friday when Texas lawmakers introduced a bill that would strip New York City of the Space Shuttle Enterprise and give it to Houston, Texas.

New York city Congressman Charles Schumer released a snarly statement by saying, "When people from Paris, Beijing, Tokyo and Amsterdam start saying they want to go to Houston, maybe then they'll get a shuttle. I'd say to Texas, don't mess with New York,"  knowing full well Texas is famous for their quote, "Don't Mess With Texas," the slogan used during the 1990's to keep people from littering our Texas highways with trash, or garbage.

Texas Congressman Ted Poe then fired back, "whether Senator Schumer likes it or not, the Big Apple had nothing to do with NASA or the space shuttle program until Tuesday."  Which is true, New York never had anything to do with the space shuttle program, Houston has long been involved since the beginning of space exploration.

Seventeen congressmen and congresswomen wrote and signed the letter which reads in part, "We can find no logical explanation for this decision."

 

I'm really curious to see how far this issue will go.  Are we heading towards a huge Texas Showdown?  Because if it's one thing Republicans in Texas are good at, is sticking it to others.  So Democrat, Schumer better be prepared.

The New York City No One Sees

I saw this video about 3 or 4 weeks ago and I was fascinated with the quality and imagination the artist projects in his work. Steve Duncan (undercity.org), who describes himself as a historian & photographer goes underneath the city of New York to show people a piece of America no one ever has the chance or will ever get the chance to see.  Due to laws and regulations no one is allowed underneath particular parts of the city.  Together with videographer Andrew Wonder, Steve creates a work of art. I highly recommend watching this video.