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Behind the scenes of the Pooping Cars movie
Our next stop was Cologne, to visit my old friend Claudia and her mom. Cologne, too, had gotten a new underground metro since my last visit. Plus a whole lot of other ways to get around.
Elliot loved Cologne - and its protected bike lanes
Subway in Cologne
Signs in the Cologne metro, showing the Cologne "Dom" cathedral overwhelmed by climate chaos. The signs say: "What are you doing for the climate? Riding the bus & train more!"
Arriving into London
Our family decided to take a holiday in Europe this summer - requiring a massive carbon splurge (30 tons' worth, in fact) which I double offset at Terrapass.com. The trip is also mitigated in part because Elliot and I are tagging along with his dad on his business trip, and we have limited our flights to the unavoidable transatlantic - all other travel will be by rail. We are visiting 5 countries and staying with friends and family all along the way.
We arrived in London on Friday, and we spent all weekend sightseeing in a frenzied attempt to get over our jetlag. Trains were our main mode of transport, and Elliot was delighted.
On our way to visit the British Museum (we've been listening to A History of the World in 100 Objects, and reading The Red Pyramid), we got off at the Russell Square underground station, where we decided to exit via the stairs instead of the elevator. We had no idea what we were in for! Up and up we climbed, on an endless spiral staircase with no exits which seemed to go on forever. We were much relieved to emerge at last - and it occurred to me that this might have been one of the many Tube stations used as air raid shelters during the blitz.
Our friends told us later that Russell Square Station is over 140 feet deep - meaning we had climbed the equivalent of 14 stories!
Finally! Emerging at last from the ultra-deep Russell Square underground station in London.
In general, we are loving London - though we have been surprised at not seeing more bicycles. And so far only one electric car!
Elliot on his first ride aboard a double-decker English bus.
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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