Finally saw the Little Mermaid statue! It was not as large as I had thought it would be, and is situated in front of a landscape of industrial factories and smoke stacks, but nonetheless, it was a sight worth seeing! Unfortunately my camera died exactly a minute before I got to the statue, so I was not able to get any photos. The Little Mermaid statue is turning 100 years old in 2013! Cheers!
One day after class, Molly and I started walking to explore some more of the city. We stopped at the Black Diamond-- a large, shiny, and modern building on the harbor that houses the royal library. Next we visited CPH's very own SIDEWALK TRAMPOLINES located on the harbor boardwalk. To put a long story short, we were jumping until dark=) We also managed to get some great mid-air shots of each other.
Also stopped at the Thorvaldsen Museum in CPH during my free time on Wednesday, which is one of the oldest museums in Denmark dedicated to the work of renowned Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Very beautiful and majestic work of marble historical and mythical figures located inside an early-19th century, grotesque-style building influenced by Thorvaldsen’s passion for ancient Greek architecture and artistic style.
On Wednesday the 30th, I went on a field study tour with my Environmental Policy class to Copenhagen City Hall. There we met with representatives from the environmental and financial departments of the Mayor's office. They presented to us the "CPH 2025 Climate Plan," which is a report of the city's goals to become carbon-neutral by 2025. To say the least, the plan is very impressive! This integrative plan also focuses on overcoming other environmental issues, and includes a plan to increase the overall well-being and quality of life of CPH residents (Danes are only the happiest people, so why not make them even happier!). This lecture really got me thinking about how backward thinking American society is.
Think about transportation for example. 95% of American households own at least one car, if not more. 85% of Americans use their personal car to get to and from work, and over 3/4 of Americans drive alone to work (no carpooling). According to the US Census Bureau (2009), the average weekday commute to work for Americans is 25 minutes, or about 16 miles. More or less, the average American will then drive their car for about an hour a day (to and from work), which is roughly equivalent to 7 hours every week (in a 168 hour week). Your car sits in the driveway/parking lot for the other 161 hours.
I'm not sure about you, but this doesn't seem like very efficient use of your car, especially considering the amount of money you spend on it (initial investment, gasoline, insurance, repair, etc). Doesn't it seem silly to own one then? You may not think so, as it is so ingrained in American culture that everyone needs to own a car (partially in part due to influence of the AMerican automobile industry, but that’s another story). And how else would you get to work or school?
In Denmark, the primary means of human mobility are public transportation (bus, train, metro), bicycling, and walking. It may seem literally impossible for you to envision such modes of transportation back home, especially due to the problem of American urban sprawl and suburban development. I am currently living in a very small rural town about 30 minutes from Copenhagen. I commute to CPH by bus and train every morning, which usually only takes me 45 minutes. In fact, the bus and train are always packed with people commuting every morning! Very few people drive as it just doesn't make sense to drive--cars and fuel are very expensive in Denmark, which encourage people to use public transportation (taxes on purchasing a new car are on average about 180%). In the city alone, about 50% of commuters get to work/school by bike everyday. These alternative modes are ultimately cheaper, create less carbon emissions, use less natural resources, encourage healthy lifestyles and regular exercise, increase city livability, encourage clean air, and reduce traffic congestion.
If people chose to support and use alternative modes of transportation, we could gain so many benefits! Unfortunately, many American communities are not designed in such a way that encourages this type of transportation behavior. For example, I have been reflecting on how difficult it was for me to get to and from places from Hurley. My house is located only 3 miles from Coleman High School. Despite the close and convenient distance, my mom would drive me into school every morning. I never dreamed of riding my bike to school every morning, as Hurley Avenue is windy and full of blind-spots, a danger-zone for pedestrians (not that there are many to begin with). There wasn’t even a bike rack at school for me to lock my bike even if I wanted to ride it there. The past few years I have also been experiencing difficulty getting to and from work during the summer, as I work in Rhinebeck. There is simply no public transportation that could get me there, and every morning my mom would have to drive me to Rhinebeck before work, leaving me stranded in town for at least 2 hours before I even needed to be at work. Say I wanted to get into Kingston for some reason or another, there at least is the option of taking the local bus there. But I would never consider taking it even for a second, and neither would many of my friends and acquaintances (with the exception of my brave sister, of course). I will be frank-- the public city bus in Kingston is looked down upon as dirty and even sketchy--a mode of transportation for inner-city residents and the homeless who cannot afford a vehicle. I have never even set foot inside of one myself. These ingrained preconceptions yield higher gaps in socio-economic class-divisions and inequalities, which is neither progressive nor socially healthy for the community at large.
While I am not saying that everyone should give up on their cars, as they are very useful, I am advocating for a change in the way Americans think about transportation in general, and how we could potentially change community infrastructure to make transportation more efficient. Carpooling, creating bike lanes and pedestrian walkways with traffic buffers (expansion of 209 rail trail anyone?), investing in an efficient and expansive public transportation system are just a few of the ways this unsustainable growth dilemma can be overcome. Stop complaining about gas prices and the inability to find enough time in your day to exercise--this negative energy could be put to better use with a little common sense.
Whew! Enough ranting for now.
Also, sorry I haven’t sent out any postcards yet. Postcards are very expensive to send. My roommate just spent about $30 on 10 stamps alone. Hang in there. I will start sending them as soon as I can! (but don’t expect more than one this semester . . . sorry!)
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