Downshift Your Driving

According to the Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3), "It takes total carbon dioxide emissions from most countries worldwide combined to equal just vehicle emissions in the United States, and as we consume more and more gas, pressure builds to drill in fragile and conflict-ridden areas. Yet a quarter of the trips Americans make are within walking distance, and each American driver could keep nearly a thousand pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air by taking the Carbon Conscious Consumer pledge to find an alternative to driving only one day each week. With gas prices so high, now is a great time to start reducing our reliance on cars."

Gas prices. Carbon emissions. Traffic. Three good reasons to join in pledging to reduce our driving each month through December. If we keep the car in the driveway one day each week in August, each gallon of gas that goes unused keeps twenty pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

I work from home so it's not about commuting for me. But, there are plenty of times when I really don't need to run that errand or I could take my bike instead of the car. And with some common sense (and a pinch of planning) I can easily combine errands in one trip. In fairness, I'd have to leave my car home 3 days a week to be much of a challenge so I'll commit to that.



Like many of you, I don't live in the most walker/biker-friendly area. The closest business, about 1 mile away, is ...(drum roll)... a gas station. Sadly, when nothing else is within walking distance, gas stations emerge. You can assess your neighborhood's "greenness" with the online evaluation tool Hans Noeldner recommended at http://www.walkscore.com/. Although it is not as accurate in a place like the ever-changing Fitchburg, it does help us think about options within walking and biking distance.

Even though I'm not as comfortable as Hans is about riding my bike on some of the local roads without bike lanes (not to mention donning tight black and yellow bike gear--go Hans!), I still have low carbon choices. (Not to be confused with low carb choices but there's certainly a connection since emitting fewer carbons might mean you don't have to watch the carbs. Now there's a win-win solution!)

Instead of just hoping that the rest of the world won't pick up our bad habits (like hopping into cars when we could walk or wait), doesn't it make sense to set a better, more sustainable, example for the world?

We can all contribute in our own ways. Do you have any ideas to share?