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Behind the scenes of the Pooping Cars movie
Very good news - last week’s One Planet Summit in Paris included the announcement of a new international alliance aimed at decarbonizing transportation globally.
“The attention that transport received and the commitments for climate action in transport that were made during the One Planet Summit are unprecedented. After the One Planet Summit, the transport sector is better positioned in climate change mitigation and adaptation than ever before.”
Watch Elliot knock it out of the park in our interview at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival's Media Lounge
Elliot and I leave Wednesday morning for New Delhi, where Worse Than Poop! will be screening as part of the CMS Vatavaran Festival.
It's particularly exciting to be heading to India this week, as the Indian government just released the exciting news of its climate pledges in advance of the COP21 summit. India, the third-largest emitter of CO2, has promised to produce 40% of its energy from renewables, and to reduce its carbon intensity by a third, by 2030. Which is *really* good news for the planet - and for the people of India.
Since our flights to India will generate approximately 34,000 pounds of CO2, I am looking for an organization working on renewable energy projects in India that can provide an offset. (I will be paying double the rate published by TerraPass). If you know of an organization we should consider, please let me know!
I've wanted to go to India for many, many years, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to do this with Elliot. But I have to admit to being somewhat apprehensive, as there is a phrase that comes up with alarming regularity whenever I speak with someone who has been to India. They tell me that India is "an assault on the senses," and that we will "almost certainly get Delhi belly" (i.e. stomach upset due to any one of a number of probable causes). Maybe it's because I'm a mom - or maybe I'm just getting old - but the thought of being assaulted and getting sick has put something of a damper on my enthusiasm.
However, an Indian friend will be traveling with us, which is very reassuring. And Elliot is excited at the prospect of seeing elephants and monkeys, and riding the Delhi subway. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, where I will be posting photos from our adventures while we are in India. I'll also post more here once we return.
Elliot shows off his Tesla visitors badge
Yesterday, Elliot and I got to visit the Tesla Motors factory, in Fremont, Ca. Tesla doesn't give many tours, and we were thrilled to get a last-minute invitation as part of a tour hosted by BlackRock.
Read MoreAs a thank-you to our Kickstarter supporters, we're creating a series of videos featuring Professor Elliot looking at alternatives to pooping cars. In each episode, Elliot and his camera-toting mom will visit a different expert to learn about a new form of carbon-free transportation.
Our first episode features Nissan Leaf expert Maddi Hausmann:
It's official: we are launching our Kickstarter campaign in 15 days. Or should I say Kickstartr? It seems they have changed their name again. (Just kidding. Note the date on that post.) At any rate, I am now madly preparing for what everyone tells me will be a very grueling (groveling) experience.
On April 22, Earth Day - one year to the date after the idea for a pooping cars movie popped into my head - we will go live, and find out how many people actually want to see a gas car take a dump.
If you're still reading this, I'd be ever so grateful if you'd head over and take the Poopie Pledge to support our campaign! Every little bit of support - moral, financial, and social - really makes a difference.
Elliot and I have talked about whether or not to include "pooping airplanes" in Worse Than Poop! - and the idea of all that CO2 poop free-falling from 30k feet does conjure some potential hilarity.
But right now, there isn't much in the way of an alternative for long-distance travel (how many times has Elliot asked me if they've developed an electric airplane yet?). For those of us here in North America without decent rail service, our only choices are either to offset all that carbon, or simply to not fly.
So for anyone grappling with this dilemma, Mother Jones just published an article on a great new study that helps you determine the least-pooping airline for your particular route. Not exactly a long-term solution - but hey, the less poop, the better.
Elliot has become obsessed with electric vehicles. I need to remember to start recording our conversations, because some of the things he says are so funny. ("Mommy, I think we need to buy the electric Honda Fit. I mean, I'm just not too keen on the look of the Leaf, and Daddy isn't either. With those bulgy eyes & everything.")
But yesterday Elliot said something that I thought was particularly prescient for an 8-year-old. He was asking about Volvo's. He wanted to know what was more polluting - a Volvo or a Subaru.
Me: "They're probably about the same. Subarus have all-wheel drive, which reduces their mileage. Volvos are generally considered to be the safest cars, so they're heavier. And most of them are pretty big. But people buy them because they're really safe."
Elliot: "But I mean, how can a car be SAFE, if it's polluting all that CO2 and wrecking the planet? I think an EV is much safer."
Gotta love it.
I shot and edited this little clip on my iPhone - so forgive the lo-res shaky camera! I just wanted everyone to meet Elliot and get excited about our project.
Today, humans are creating more than 38 billion tons of carbon pollution every year - in fact, over 2 million pounds of it gets spewed into the air every second. This massive amount of pollution is now threatening the climate that all life depends on, and in the US, almost a third of that pollution comes from transportation. But the problem with CO2 is that you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it - and that makes it hard for people to take it seriously. But what if you could see it? What if the 19 pounds of crap coming out of your car’s tailpipe was... crap?
Elliot Ingle, a bespectacled 8-year old wearing a necktie and lab coat, takes us on a short journey to imagine just such a reality. Using a combination of live action video and animation, “Worse than Poop” will illustrate basic scientific facts (why DOES a gallon of gas produce 19 pounds of CO2? How is that possible - and where does it go?). It will also work to undermine some outmoded cultural norms (what’s a better status symbol - a poo-spattered Lexus or a spiffy clean Tesla - or a fun shiny bike with a cool sidecar?). Featuring mom’s minivan (one pound of poo per mile!), the lumbering Suburban (19 pounds of poop in only 10 miles!), the Tesla S (faster than a speeding Captain Underpants!), the Nissan Leaf, the Mitsubishi i, and a flotilla of electric and people-powered bicycles and scooters, “Worse than Poop” will engage children ages 5-12 in the most important issue of our time: rejection of the fossil fuel lifestyle.
It’s bound to make a difference. I mean, what kid doesn’t love talking about poop?
Climate change facts, what is climate change, climate change definition.
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