EVs & Tree Huggers
I recently had an interesting conversation with a conservationist. She invited me to a tree planting and I declined. She thought it strange even when I told her the reason, which I’ll come back to in a moment.
Brisbane City Council is doing its part planting trees to line the street on which I live. Fairly soon after they have planted, the tree saplings start to disappear. I thought it was vandals. Then I found out by accident it was the homeowners — they didn’t want to lose their views. My front yard is full of trees, and overshadowed by the two that were planted by the council on my footpath.
There is a park nearby where I take my grandchildren to play. We have played there for over 20 years (first my children and then my grandchildren). It would have been rainforest before the colonists came, chopped down all the trees, and turned it into a farm. It is now a vast open space. Many of the locals (myself included) would like to see part of it reforested — not all, as the astronomy club and the football fans would object. And so the council has started planting trees. Three of them have now been broken off at the base — two are reshooting and one has died.
That’s not the only issue with tree planting. The other is time. It takes decades before the tree will make a difference. Does this mean I am against it? No. My time and money are limited, though, and I have to make a decision as to how best to help save the earth — not for me, but for my children and grandchildren. And for yours as well.
So, I chose to take my Tesla to a hot rod meetup rather than being part of a tree planting. I did so hoping that I could help dispel the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) around electric vehicles and enhance the take-up when they finally become more available in Australia.
It is my belief that the fastest way to make a change is to transition from fossil fuel vehicles to EVs and from fossil fueled electricity to renewables (yes, I have solar panels on my roof). They make an immediate difference. As time permits, I will also plant trees.
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