Still need to have a car? Try an innovative hybrid solution. Also consider joining a car sharing club. Car sharing allows you to pay by the hour for a car which includes gas and insurance. For some, this type of club allows them not to have to own a car or at least not have to own a second one.
How did you attempt to limit your pollution intake this Memorial Day weekend with your transportation choices?
Learn more about the environment and transportation on "The Green", today, May 27th.
"Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Transport" 9:00e/p
The automobile is still king in America, and it's the single greatest polluter in most cities. This episode will show us how city governments, private organizations and university scientists are working to get commuters to leave their cars behind for cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation.
Contested Streets: Breaking New York City Gridlock 9:30pm e/p
Directed by Stefan Schaefer. Historians, urban planners and archival footage combine to tell the story of New York City's chronic gridlock and its concurrent quest for safer, less crowded streets. Beginning its tale at the turn of the 20th Century, the film traces the dangers and developments, perspectives and personalities that have shaped the flow and flaws of Manhattan street traffic to the present day. As New York City citizens and government alike seek to reduce congestion, filmmaker Schaefer travels to Europe to survey new approaches to transportation in three dynamic world capitals: Copenhagen, Paris and London.
Do you have a "Big Idea" for the environment? Join The Green group to learn more about the environment, share your thoughts on sustainable living, and to contribute to weekly discussion topics. To join, click here.
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Comments: 26
-I walked to a nearby shopping center to pick up a few items from Walgreens and Whole Foods. When I do this, I wear a backpack, which I used to carry the items home. Whole Foods gives me 10 cents credit for bringing my own bag.
I have been fighting this fight for over 8 years now.
Sometimes, the Green community is more flawed in it's thinking than other interest groups. The Sierra Club once told me that I could bring my SAFEGE monorail banner to a carbon footprint rally, but I must stand behind the barricades with the rest of the protesters. Protester? What a mess!
skytraincorp.com
We were looking at hybrids for our next car purchase, but finally decided that we will probably be getting a Honda Fit instead. It gets great gas mileage and is much cheaper.
We didn't go anywhere this holiday weekend, but during the regular week we try to combine trips and I like to walk to places that are nearby.
It cost me $42.00 to fill up a Subaru.
I saw a few hybrids on the road.
Something else my husband and I did was to discuss getting rid of our mini-van. I just posted an article about that issue here and would love for some feedback. In brief, we're not sure if it's a prudent move as we have six family members and the Prius only seats five--but it's not often that all six of us drive anywhere on the spur of the moment.
Take a look at my article and leave me your opinions.
Oh, one more comment. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had an excellent idea to save gas/cut down on pollution: drive slower. I tried doing that this weekend, but it's a challenge because I want to drive as fast as I always do.
Of course properly inflating the tires, changing the oil appropriately and routine maintenance help, but the biggest difference we have found is going 55 mph!!!
I noticed an increase in traffic as our county hosted the "Webster County Woodchopping Festival"
And he told some crazy people.
And they told some crazy people.
And so on.
We do not own a hybrid, but on the other hand we were never silly enough to buy an SUV. We always knew that cheap gas was on borrowed time. Now the time has run out, and we get an average of 30 mpg in our old saturn SLs. We hope to keep them both running until 2010, then buy one of those newfangled plug in hybrids that run on mostly electricity and a little gas. I wish you could buy those now, but nobody was interested in figuring the battery out back when gas was cheap. Its a bit humiliating how stupid humans really are.
I very rarely go further than 20 miles away from home. (I'm too happy being right where I am.) Other than work, my driving is limited to trips to the grocer, doctor, beach, etc. This time next year I hope to have sold my 2003 Toyota Camry and purchased a street-legal golf cart.
Memorial Weekend? I parked the car Wednesday night and didn't start it up again until the Tuesday after the holiday. Didn't miss it a bit.
Hybrid cars are still just too expensive, so my husband and I have one vehicle. Granted prices have gone down, but not enough. We can't afford to even buy a second gasoline car at this point in time.
Right now we have a 1998 Ford Explorer. I drive a school bus, so I am driving 100 miles a week during the school week. Add to that the fact that my husband is a truck driver and his company is located about 40 miles away from our apartment, you can add 160 miles to that for a total of 260 miles a week give or take. I try to combine all our shopping trips while I am out and about to save fuel.
We do have a form of public transportation here in my town though. We can call one of two cabs to pick us up, but the drivers are very old and I would scared to ride with them. The other option is called Burke Transit Authority. You have to call them two weeks in advance to schedule a ride, and then you can't be sure they will even make it to pick you up.