Yeah, people are really amazed by the fact that we don't own a car and have raised two kids without driving them around constantly. We also get our groceries home from the Whole Foods market near us (just under a mile away) using a shopping cart, which is a real attention-getter; people are constantly stopping us on the street to ask us where we bought it! (Our local hardware store, about a 15-minute walk from our home.) And when we're at the store, we get credit for every canvas or string bag we bring with us, so we're not taking home loads of plastic bags.
There are many ways to be friendlier to the environment and spend less money on gas and car maintenance, but a big part of that is to make some tough decisions about where you're going to live. When we decided where to rent and eventually buy a house it was pretty much all dependent on proximity to mass transit. Most people don't think this way or can't afford to at this time. I personally know loads of people who drive their cars, alone, at times when they could very well take mass transit, which would put fewer emissions into the atmosphere, reduce the cars on the roads, improving traffic flow, support mass transit with both money and larger numbers of riders, and reduce the money they're spending on gas and car maintenance. Very few people decide to ride their bikes to work, like Peg, for any reason at all, whether because it could save them money or produce any of the above benefits, but more people need to think about trying to use their cars less or stop using them altogether if anything is going to change for the better in this country.
I'm used to espousing philosophies that make people think I'm a commie. It just goes with the territory. ;)
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There are many ways to be friendlier to the environment and spend less money on gas and car maintenance, but a big part of that is to make some tough decisions about where you're going to live. When we decided where to rent and eventually buy a house it was pretty much all dependent on proximity to mass transit. Most people don't think this way or can't afford to at this time. I personally know loads of people who drive their cars, alone, at times when they could very well take mass transit, which would put fewer emissions into the atmosphere, reduce the cars on the roads, improving traffic flow, support mass transit with both money and larger numbers of riders, and reduce the money they're spending on gas and car maintenance. Very few people decide to ride their bikes to work, like Peg, for any reason at all, whether because it could save them money or produce any of the above benefits, but more people need to think about trying to use their cars less or stop using them altogether if anything is going to change for the better in this country.
I'm used to espousing philosophies that make people think I'm a commie. It just goes with the territory. ;)