http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrp4ATFwMxxJzsyyftYQp-A/videos?view=0&flow=grid

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/entertainment/must_see_video/chris-p-bacon-is-coolest-pig-on-wheels-nd13

Thought you might enjoy seeing this pic of Opal – it was at a Thanksgiving With The Turkeys event a couple years back, and she was just chilling, enjoying getting all the attention. Kids loved her, and she loved them right back!

http://tempest.smugmug.com/photos/i-v7hV83K/0/M/i-v7hV83K-M.jpg

As far as fatalities…there is much that could be done most everywhere to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. I don’t find it all that helpful to point out statistics for just one mode of travel, however. We, as drivers, simply accept that some people die in car wrecks, and never use it as a reason or argument against driving. However, it is the reality. Anytime we get in the car, we might die. The most dangerous activity a child engages in is riding in the car. (For real.) But we never talk about that. We know the risk, we accept the risk, we ignore the risk. But as soon as we talk about biking, suddenly the risk is a huge focus!

Yes, I could die riding my bike. Or walking to the store. Or driving to the sanctuary.

In terms of numbers and statistics, in order of greatest likelihood of leading to death, it goes:
– walking
– driving
– biking

I mean, I understand the nervousness. I felt the nervousness. I took a league of american bicyclists class in preparation for the bike commuting, and learned a lot about how to make sure I am as safe as possible on the bike. (hint: be visible and predictable.)

What my actual worries are, and what requires strategy and thought from me with regards to biking places, is related to getting lost. Sad, but true. For the grocery shopping, it is the fact that I have a fairly large hill to climb to get home from the store. I ride bigger hills than that every day, but with groceries?

And also, carrying the volume of groceries requires a fair amount of thought in terms of attaching it to my bike.

I think that these are very similar “classes” of worries that people feel when they think about going vegan. “How?” “‘What if” And things along those lines. For me, going vegan was easy. For many people I know, biking everywhere was easy. For others, going vegan is not easy. For me, biking everywhere is not easy.

It’s really not something we have to overcome physically (though that does play a part) as much as mentally.

And that’s where the concepts in “Switch” really come in handy. Understanding what’s going on in a lot of these cases helps!