car culture
Even though the automobile provides convenience and unprecedented mobility, "motor vehicles have many destructive effects on people and the environment"(1). Each year, motor vehicles kill 40,000 to 50,000 people in the U.S., Americans spend $200 million a day for building and rebuilding nation's roads, and motor vehicles have much things to do with land loss, air pollution, global warming and ozone depletion (2). To solve this U.S. car culture problem, I have searched for solutions as follows. First, I will explain basic causes of environmental impacts. Second, I will examine constructive actions practiced by individual, environmental groups or grassroots groups. Finally I will think about some basic solutions that we can practice individually.[Basic causes of environmental impacts] I think that U.S. car culture is a result that several potential basic causes of environmental stress have interacted. However, among these stresses I assume ignorance and misinformation, corporate capitalism, and attitude are the most responsible stresses. Motor vehicles' corporations give public misinformation for their short-term profits and they do not take these problems seriously. Also we should not overlook politic
My first action is to learn more about the car culture not only in the U.S. but also in the world from now. I will have more knowledge about the destructive effects of car culture and I will let my friends know what I have learned. Also, I will use my own car as less as possible and I will think our environment whenever I use my car. [Activities by Grassroots Groups, Environment Organization, or Persons] Auto-Free D.C. is a grassroots organization working to transform the metropolitan region's transportation system. They advocated elimination of the massive subsidies that encourage automobile use and their redirection to fund sustainable transportation projects: public transit, bicycling and pedestrian facilities. Auto-Free D.C. believed that we must end our forced dependence on the automobile as a precondition for achieving an environmentally sustainable, equitable, and livable community (4). Auto-Free D.C. leads the fight to reclaim Rock Creek National Park from automobile abuse through its "Free-the-Park" bicycle rides and ongoing lobbying of the National Park Service. They testified on the "Clean Air Plan" before the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee. Auto-Free D.C. co-organized the Metro area's first National Bike-to-Work Week festivities in May. Also, they helped defeat Metrobus fare increases by pressuring the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Clean Air, , Europe Japan, Auto-Free DC, Persons Greenpeace, Renault Twingo, Air Education, car culture, clean air, National Park, Bike-to-Work Week, Car March, auto-free dc, air pollution, public transportation, effects car culture, effects car, destructive effects, motor vehicles, basic causes, causes environmental, basic causes environmental, clean air demonstration, causes environmental impacts, air demonstration team,
Approximate Word count = 1001
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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