Our leisure and the environment

When it comes to the environment it's always the same things that are targeted by critics - it's the oil industry, greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels (cars, houses, industry), it's more and more what is in products and then the every day Joe has to reduce water, electricity use, waste ... It's all not wrong but a lot of things get left out: from Formula 1 to stock cars, monstrous trucks, motorcycles, any race of motorized vehicles should not be a sport but simply prohibited. Quads, snow mobiles and similar vehicles should only be used for working purposes not for fun rides. Then there are sightseeing flights, flights for sky divers and for stunts-shows in the air. Similarly this list can be done up for boats/ water traffic. So there are industries behind the use of motorized vehicles that make a lot of money and would not agree to any cut-downs for the environment's sake, namely the leisure, tourism and entertainment industries, as well as the manufacturers of the vehicles. It's all about fun and that's why it's probably not being attacked - don't we all earn that little bit of fun through the hard work we do and life's tough enough, bla bla bla? Maybe, maybe not. The terrible thing is that once you start you can go on and on about different leisure activities. Gyms for example is something I don't understand. All that equipment, the space, the air conditioning, TV screens .... a lot of material to help people work out because our modern jobs are not actually that physically challenging any more, unless you consider sitting on a desk for 8 hours or more per day a problem. I do. But sliding my butt back and forth across the chair and stomping my feet underneath the desk still does not give me the satisfaction of a physical work-out. Instead of a gym, I prefer to run outside, carry my shopping bags home and knead my bread dough ... it helps to stay fit. Oh, I just remember another one, pools! All that water in the pool, all that chlorine in the water, all that energy to heat the pool, all the substances & water needed to clean the facility. An aquatic centre is possibly an all-resources-consuming operation. But when the next ocean is 1000 of miles away and the river frozen and polluted anyway, no lake anywhere to see, where are we meant to swim? To lots of sport and leisure activities, I think, there is no good alternative. With regards to the pool, Edmonton has lots of them, they actually do a good deed to our society. As much as I don't understand why there is 99% seniors in the aquasize classes, as much I am glad to see them there. Water sports are good for the elderly and I wished they'd all be forced into it. I'm getting tired of all the studies that come up giving us the same advice over and over again: eat healthy food and exercise and you'll avoid cancers, obesity, diabetes, and so on. So here we go, let the old and young exercise, moderately of course, if it keeps them away from the doctor's office. The health sector is an environmental burden in itself that never gets attacked but more about that later. Still, 'sports' with motorized vehicles are not a work-out, not for the driver, not for the spectators. They should simply be abolished.