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A green future for outdoor recreation
By JACK DOWNS
Design Editor
Here are two news tidbits for you:
Some of the big investment banks are downgrading coal-company stocks, predicting a long-range slump in the carbon-heavy industry.
New York is trying to decide how many miles of snowmobile trails to allow on state land in the Adirondack Park.
Random headlines? Maybe not. For me, these two stories converge on a question: How should we _ as individuals, families and society _ invest in the future of outdoor recreation?
Right now, our answers are full of contradictions.
We bemoan the obesity epidemic, yet when we build boat launches with public funds we only think about power boats and make no provisions for kayaks and canoes.
We are rightly concerned about the now irrefutable impacts of global warming, yet we promote the energy-intensive downhill-ski industry with state-sponsored tourism marketing.
We worry about the impact of air pollution on children with asthma, yet we push for ATV trails on public lands.
For me the answer is clear. The future of outdoor recreation is green. As individuals, families and society, it is time for us to choose healthy, environmentally defensible recreation over motor sports and energy-gorging pastimes.
No, I don't want to ban snowmobiles or outlaw personal watercraft. I just want us to consider our decisions and thoughtfully move in the right direction.
On a personal level, be conscious of how your recreation decisions impact your health, your family's health, your planet's health. Bird watching is better for you, and all of us, than NASCAR watching.
And on a societal level, putting our tourism and development efforts into energy-intensive recreation is like opening a Hummer factory as the price of gas hits $4 a gallon.
There's no future in it.
Now, before all you ATVing, snowmobiling, motorcycling, powerboaters push the send button on that e-mail about your new fuel-efficient and emissions-reduced engines, step back and consider: How does your ATV compare in insurance costs to hiking boots. How does your dirt bike compare in carbon footprints to a mountain bike? How does your personal watercraft compare in noise output to a canoe?
Answer me that.
