We Didn’t Start the Fire

Everyone thinks they have it bad when they are young, and young people feel that they are left to clean up the mess left by those who came before them.   Today’s mess is climate change.

Rock and Roll artist Billy Joel mentions 118 cultural events in 4 minutes in a song called We Didn’t Start the Fire.  He wrote it as a 40 year old answering a 21 year old’s complaint that it was a bad time to be a 21 year old in 1989.  Billy Joel’s anthem went on to document all of the bad things (and some good) that he lived through in his 40 years.   

What Has Changed?

What has changed since the baby boomers were singing this song is that the world has become a much darker place.  The future of the planet is now in peril in ways that have accelerated faster than any scientist’s predictions.  Society has polarized in ways that place a higher premium on power than on truth, leaving many to wonder if there is a way forward if we can’t even agree upon the facts.  It is no wonder that today’s youth feel the mess they have been left with is exponentially worse than in previous generations. 

That begs the question, what can be done?  Is there hope? And if we attempt to address the climate catastrophes we face, can we count on others to join with us in these critical moments?

Why Volt Mobility?  Why Now? 

I’ve spent the past year helping launch a start up company called Volt Mobility of Arvada.  Volt Mobility is designed to combat global climate change by offering electric vehicles as a service, including eCar ridesharing, eCar delivery service, eBike and eScooter rentals, and Tours via eCars, eBikes and eScooters.   By using an all electric fleet, Volt offers transportation that will reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and use well-paid full- and part-time employees whose incomes remain in the local economy, and who can build wealth through environmentally sound investments in our employee-owned co-op.  

Our Mission

Our mission is to liberate humanity from reliance on fossil fuels and introduce a sharing economy where people use transportation on an as-needed basis. We even offer ways you can pay as you go to own your own eBike or eScooter at the end of 12 monthly payments, with revenue sharing by the co-op to offset your payments. See https://www.voltmobility.net/share2own/

Today’s Mess is Climate Change

Why is Volt Mobility so relevant in this time of economic uncertainty and environmental collapse?  Transportation is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions, and replacing fossil fuel-based vehicles with Volt’s electric vehicles is a step in the right direction to remove emissions from our environment.  In the Denver area, this is especially timely as we deal with overzealous fracking, residue from western forest fires, and dangerous ground level ozone that is medically harmful.  

Human-Scaled Solutions

Choosing sustainable transportation offered by Volt Mobility is one of many actions we can take to address global climate destruction in the Denver area.  What is really life changing is to realize that Volt Mobility is designed to spread across the planet.  It is a model for expansion into other communities, and offers human-based solutions that resist the trends towards self-driving vehicles or machine learning solutions.  Technology that is human-scaled is not new, but is also almost retro.  We need to consider the impact of development upon humans and our civilization if we are to create new ways forward.  

The scale of the problems are so much bigger than before.  We need solutions that can also scale – like Volt Mobility.  Today’s mess is climate change.  Will your anthem be one of hope or despair?