[sustran] Re: Low-Car Diet Challenge Program - And Car Free Days (Our Convenient Truth)

[scott at pedalsong.net]

I really like this concept.  In fact, I?m hoping to implement a  
variation in Ann Arbor this spring.   I?d like to make a couple  
comments on Eric?s suggestions for LCD:



1)	The term ?Low Car Diet? is not associated exclusively with a  
month-long challenge to give up auto-use.  It has been used in Ann  
Arbor for two years as a tag-line for our Curb Your Car Month, which  
included all sorts of promotions and events.  After assuming we had  
come up with an original phrase, we found that many other local  
efforts had used the phrase to describe a variety of programs.
There was some concern initially that this phrase would put to much  
emphasis on physical condition, thus not speaking to those who were  
either already in good health, or were not particularly concerned  
about health issues.  While it is hard to know who the campaign  
missed, I don?t think anyone complained about the phrase, so we went  
with it for another year.

2)	I think many of these points are too specific.  Details like  
keeping a log, the length of the event, setting up a booth, requiring  
an essay, and prizes may or may not fit into the existing context of  
the local effort.  I understand that Eric is just throwing out ideas  
here.  I just want to add that each version of this event would (and  
should?) reflect local resources, key players, and issues.

3)	Is this a competition and should it be a competition?  Prizes are  
always nice, but there is a risk with prizes of people participating  
for the wrong reason.  At the end of the event, I assume, you are  
hoping to show that being car-free is not so difficult as one might  
imagine and that there are some definite benefits over driving  
(besides the prizes).  You don?t want it to come off as a test of will  
power or endurance, and you certainly don?t want people to feel that  
cheating would pay off in a big way.  In our car-free challenge, the  
winners are entered into a drawing for the grand prize, which avoids  
the eyes-on-the-prize? attitude and excessive competition.

4)	Celebrities. I think getting some big names to participate is an  
important part of promoting an event like this.  Eric points to the  
importance of media and suggests having participants blog their  
logbooks.  I think adding record-keeping requirements would tend to  
reduce interest by the general public, but media exposure and  
real-time personal updates could be combined by getting a media  
personality who already has frequent public interaction (via blog,  
radio, newspaper, TV, etc) to participate and integrate their LCD  
experience with existing communication channels.

5)	Implement LCD in conjunction with other events.  Obviously Eric is  
promoting this as a WCFD event.  In Ann Arbor we run a month-long  
program called ?Curb Your Car Month? which incorporates Bike to Work  
Day, transit promotions, city walking tours, lectures and symposiums,  
frequent organized bike rides, a car-free challenge where local  
businesses compete to get the most employees to try going car-free,  
and other events.  This allows us to keep momentum and awareness high  
for month-long activities like LCD.  The month-long events also help  
boost the kick-off and wrap-up events for the month.

6)	Panel of experts.  In planning for our LCD event, we are trying to  
put together a panel of people who currently live car-free as a  
support network for people who are willing to participate.  I think  
this is a good way to:
a.	Raise awareness that there are a lot of people living car-free  
already and that it is not as difficult as you might imagine.
b.	Provide tips that consider the local context for people interested  
in reducing their use of a car.

I hope this is helpful and would be willing to share more detailed  
info on my efforts and progress with anyone interested.  It would be  
great if others did the same.

-Scott



Quoting Eric Britton <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>:

> Exec Sum:  This is a wide open public brainstorm on what I believe could be a
> very creative sustainability exercise with real impact. I'll try to   
> get the ball
> rolling with this first draft, and then see what you may all do with it. With
> your kind permission, I propose that we discuss this and post   
> whatever projects,
> etc that might come out of it via the Lots Less Cars
> (http://www.lotslesscars.org <http://www.lotslesscars.org/> ) Idea   
> Factory, for
> which the group mail address is LotsLessCars at yahoogroups.com, Okay, let's go.
>
>
>
> The idea that we should like to put before you this morning for the   
> next wave of
> Car Free Days at any time and anywhere in the world would be for a public
> announcement of a high profile coordinated Low-Car Diet Challenge   
> Program.  Here
> are a couple of the possible working parts if you will bear with me.
>
>
>
> 1.	What is an LCD Challenge Program? A laid back invitation, support and
> award program which invite people to "give up their car for one   
> month". (IF you
> click here
> <http://news.google.com/news?&num=100&hl=en&newwindow=1&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-25,GG
> LG:en&btnG=Google+Search&lr=&as_ft=i&as_qdr=all&as_dt=i&as_rights=&safe=images&s
> a=N&tab=wn&q=%20%22Low%20car%20diet%22%20-carb>  you will be taken   
> to the latest
> Google listing which at this point offers in addition to latest news on the
> subject more than 67,000 LCD entries. That's at least a start . and an
> indication of the media worthiness of this approach)
> 2.	Minimum qualifications: You have to have a car, and you have to agree to
> keep the little log (honestly?) for the full month (or at least that  
>  part of it
> during which you are trying to stick to the diet . . . and yes it is  
>  allowed to
> cheat if you must, but you have to do it in public. )
> 3.	One idea could be to do a "public launch" of the program on the occasion
> of your next Car Free Day.
> 4.	Ideally, the LCD Challenge would be jointly sponsored by a number of
> local organizations, companies and groups. Any car share operators   
> who might be
> present, the public transport operators, taxi companies, bike clubs,
> environmental groups, hospitals, public health, local lung and clean  
>  air groups,
> maybe some of the merchants who understand that this can work for   
> them too, etc.
> And a foundation or two or just local people and families who care.   
> Quite a list
> if you think about it. (And why not, the local AA, drug treatment, and
> anti-smoking groups who after all have long experience in this.   
> Turns out that
> we have more than one monkey on our collectives backs)
> 5.	It could be good to have a visible public booth in some central area
> with people to talk to who can help explain the program, a few useful and
> perhaps a bit funny tracts explaining how the whole things works,
> 6.	We would want people to come into the booth to talk and learn about it -
> and that already would be a first small victory. (After all, how   
> many people in
> your city have actually heard of a "Low-Car Diets?)
> 7.	It would be important that all this be media savvy and bring in local
> media - maybe even as one of the partners?  (The local media could even offer
> prizes themselves, why not?)
> 8.	One idea might be to invite the local papers, radio and TV (great
> possible friends and hungry for local stuff) to come to the booth on say an
> hourly basis. There they would see not only the exhibit and the "LCD
> Thermometer" which shows hoe many people (a) have come to talk about  
>  it and (b)
> actually signed up for the LCD. And them maybe some interviews with   
> either the
> organizers of some of these people who have decided to give it a whirl.
> 9.	The pre-launch media build-up would also be critical of course.
> 10.	What about the idea of having some way to show a number of short videos
> which support this idea? We already have quite a collection of   
> videos and clips
> and in addition to the five minute trailer for Contested
> <http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/general/sneakpreview.htm>  Streets and the
> wonderful ninety second Man in
> <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6479435200757745813>  the Street
> interview in Groningen, you will surely be able to find one or two   
> handfuls for
> people to gander at which help to explain what at the heart of it all this is
> all about.  (Again to get there you go to http://www.newmobility.org  
>  and click
> them on the to menu. IF you want to talk about others, I will be   
> pleased either
> to talk to you about this or via private email.)
> 11.	Prizes and for what? Let's start with the prizes. It seems to me if this
> whole thing is to swing, the prizes should be many, varied, interesting and
> directly related to what this whole thing is all about. (I guess   
> that leaves out
> your Hummer). Since the whole thing is to have a high profile, it should be a
> no-brainer to bring in companies and others who wish to be   
> identified with doing
> this wonderful ting for heir city.
> 12.	For what? Well, it would seem to me that anyone who tries and sticks to
> it for the full month this should somehow be feted and reworded. Of   
> course the
> most important reward is what they are going for themselves and   
> their families,
> and for the community by being neighbors. And as leaders and roll   
> models (at an
> age where these are in rather short supply).
> 13.	It might be a good idea if they were invited to keep a very simple log
> book which they could fill out in three or four minutes each day   
> just to trace
> their progress. The actual log book might have one page per day, and  
>  plenty of
> room for comments and observations.
> 14.	One idea might be to invite them to put their logbook 'real time' in the
> web so as to publicly trace their problems, fears, accomplishments,   
> occasional
> disagreements perhaps, attitudes for the whole thing. People should also be
> encouraged form the beginning to understand that this is not an easy  
>  thing, and
> that even if they start and later decide to throw in the towel that   
> this is no
> disgrace. Not everyone who desires to stop smoking or snacking in   
> front of the
> boob tube makes it the first time around. The important thing is to   
> try. And, if
> they shoes to, to try in public.
> 15.	The idea of a short essay is a good one, but I wonder if as Chris
> Bradshaw has just pointed out that the real victory will be to have one more
> person or family (hey, maybe two?) move over to a car-lite life   
> style. Perhaps
> that could be the last two pages of the LCD logbook.
> 16.	Then, exactly one month after the Big Launch, the wonderful public
> report, award ceremony, and maybe a round table and debate. Invite the mayor.
> Invite the editor of the local paper. Invite the head of the local Chamber of
> COmmerce or downtown business association.  Make it into a bit deal.  And oh
> yes, have fun and make your children proud of you.
>
>
>
> As hapless 'author' of the World Car Free Days movement back in 1994  
>  in Toledo
> Spain with the public CFD call, Thursday - A
> <http://ecoplan.org/carfreeday/general/thursday-full.htm>    
> Breakthrough Strategy
> for Reducing Car Dependence in Cities, I have all too often been   
> disappointed in
> the level of, let's call it, 'social entrepreneurships' behind most   
> of the Days
> -- all too many of which have turned out to be rather drab affairs, quickly
> done, little loved, and even more quickly forgotten. In a phrase,   
> sorry to say,
> real losers. Oh dear. Fortunately there are out there in the world a lot of
> bright and hard working people with ideas of their own, and as a result there
> have been some really wonderful Car Free Days, -- and the proof has   
> often been
> that they were not quickly forgotten but actually have helped starting the
> transformation of the community toward a more sustainable New Mobility
> environment.  Which of course was the whole idea in the first place.
>
>
>
> So here we are more than a decade later and I really do think that if we push
> this year for LCD challenge programs in as many places as might be   
> ready to pick
> up this challenge, well that would be a wonderful step ahead.
>
>
>
> Your turn.
>
>
>
> Eric Britton
>
>
>
> PS1. Get this news out. Hit your lists and already try the local media.
>
>
>
> PS2. If you plan to do this or even if only to consider it, would   
> you be so kind
> to keep the list informed. Your example will be important for us all.
>
>
>
> PS3. And why not? Maybe some of you will turn this into an article or a media
> release. If so, terrific and make sure you share it with us all.  Team work -
> our only chance. Our Convenient Truth
>
>