Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Earth Day, The Premier & Me

As I type this, government buildings and schools which turned off their lights for an hour to mark Earth Day should be turning them back on. I'll be watching the TV news tonight to see who among Taiwan's great-and-good rode a bicycle to work, or took public transportation.

According to the China Post:

"Only one car will escort the premier to his office, rather than the usual three..."

Also, some members of the Cabinet are going vegetarian for the day. No indication that any of them turned off the air-conditioning in their offices, walked to work, or even worked from home. If Taiwan really wants to cut CO2 emissions and reduce traffic congestion, attitudes to telecommuting are going to have to change.

What have I done? Well, I used my bicycle this morning rather than the motorcycle or car. I remembered to bring my own chopsticks for lunch. I picked up nine small glass bottles that someone dumped beside the road (they'll go in the recycling truck this evening). And I turned the computer off between 8 am and 2 pm (usually it stays on, though typically I don't get much work done in that period).

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