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unplug

unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.

"Eco-friendly" Cars are Coming

I've been watching the posts on gas2.0, a Green Options blog about the bio-fuel revolution, and I suddenly have the desire to get new wheels. Some companies, like ZAP and Hybrids Plus are working on converting hybrids to plug-in hybrids for gas mileage up to 120 miles per gallon. The ability to plug hybrids in is even closer to all-electric vehicles, which are also on the horizon. And volkswagen has just announced that it will be releasing a diesel-electric hybrid, which I'm very excited about, as I dream of volksvegan II. It gets nearly 70 mpg and it's about time someone took an efficient diesel engine and combined it with hybrid technology to make the best of both biofuels and hybrids.

But after looking at all these shiny "greener" cars, and their price tags, I can't help but feel like maybe car lust really isn't all that green, no matter what kind of cars we're talking about. The American Dream is heavily based on car culture, and many families have more cars than drivers in their households. I'm all about having more sustainable choices, and like to use them whenever possible, but along with new choices comes the dilemma of what to do with old cars that these new ones replace. Planned obsolescence has long been marketing gimmick used by the auto industry, making old models seem outdated just by rolling out the new ones. This leads to cars, and countless other products, being put to waste long before their useful lives are truly over. It also leads to cheaper products that aren't built to last as long as they should, and "replaceable" or "disposable" products that in previous generations were used for decades or longer. In reality, nothing is ever truly disposable. There is no such thing as "out of sight, out of mind" on this small planet. We can't escape our waste.

We rely on cars more than we realize, and I don't just mean to get around. The way our communities are planned and structured is based on roads and the cars that travel on them. Suburban sprawl is very much a car-centric problem. It's rare to be able to work, go to school, live, and eat all within a few blocks. Cities are compartmentalized into zones for industry, business, retail, and living. This is not how things used to be, it's evolved along with the automobile.

Unfortunately, living without a car can be difficult if not damn near impossible for many people. This is why I'm glad that there are more sustainable cars being developed. However, I think all too often car ownership is seen as a right, not a privilege, and one that is often abused. Reducing our fossil fuel usage and its disastrous effects is an important part of combatting climate change. But just switching to different cars is not going to solve the problem. We need to re-think our relationship with cars, our public transportation system, even the way our communities are designed. And we need to get over our obsession with shiny hunks of metal with wheels that guzzle petrochemicals and spew pollution.

Here are some ways we can start re-thinking our relationship with our cars and reduce our use of fossil fuels:

• Walk, skate, rollerblade, or ride your bike for shorter trips. Gradually work your way up to longer and longer trips via bike or foot. Not only will it give you some great exercise, but there are no emissions! Don't be afraid to walk in the rain (what are umbrellas for anyway?) and in winter, try sledding or snow-shoeing.


• Use public transportation if possible. If your town doesn't have much of a public transit system, write to local politicians, bring up the issue at city council members, and gather fellow citizens together to raise awareness. Democracy only works if you use it, so get involved locally and see what you can change.


• Get a bike trailer. It's a great way to run errands you'd usually need a car full. I can fit a full load of groceries in mine.


• Carpool or Car-share. Share rides with neighbors and friends. Travel with as many people as a car can hold whenever possible. Post something on the employee bulletin board at work about organizing carpools. Talk to your kids about which of their friends live nearby and trade off days with other parents to take the kids to school. There are even car share companies popping up. This is a novel idea that works well in large cities, where people can just reserve a car for as long as they need it, and the company maintains it. Just google "car sharing" and you'll be surprised how many of these companies there already are.


• Plan and combine trips. Instead of running to the grocery store today and the mall tomorrow, try running all your errands at one time. Plan out which errands are close to each other and group them to save time and gas. Plan a list well in advance so you can buy all you need at once. Shop less often and buy in bulk so that what you buy lasts longer and you don't have to return as quickly for more.


• Eat locally. Locally-grown food doesn't have to travel around the world, burning fossil fuels along the way, to get from the farm to your table. Read labels and research companies so you know how far your food travels. When you can't eat locally, eat regionally, state-wide, and nationally as a last resort. Go to farmer's markets or learn about community supported agriculture in your area. It's a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and support your local economy as well. Of course, if you want to eat really local, you could grow your own food right in your very own garden! Even if you just grow a few herbs in pots on your windowsill, you'll end up saving a little more money and trips to the grocery store.


• Telecommute or work from home. Imagine having no commute. Americans are commuting more and more miles all the time, so why not reverse that trend (and get a chance to sleep in) by working at home? Talk to your employer about whether your position would allow you to work from home via the internet. You can start by suggesting just staying home one day a week, and work up from there. Many times, this can save your employer money on overhead, office space, and energy use. It also saves you time, money, and gas. Or, start your own home-based business.


• Use an electric scooter or moped for your commute instead of a car. Even gas motorcycles get great gas mileage compared to cars.


• Call before you go. If you have any question whether a place you need to drive to is open or has what you need, call first. You may save yourself a trip.


• And, I knew you were waiting for this one... eat less meat! Since raising animals for food takes a lot of fossil fuels (between transporting feed to the farms, running tractors and farm machinery, trucking animals to slaughter, taking the meat to be processed and packaged, and then shipping it all over the place, it adds up to a lot of gas). It's rare that animals are raised, slaughtered, and processed all in one place. The majority of animals are shipped around several times in the stages between farm and grocery store, ultimately being driven home to your table. Reducing your meat consumption even a little can have a huge impact. Not only will you reduce fossil fuel usage, but you can reduce pollution (since raising animals causes a lot of it) and improve your health. In fact, going vegetarian may have a far greater impact than changing what you drive or not driving at all, since livestock is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation.


• Keep your car well-maintained and your tires filled up. Making sure your car runs as efficiently as possible helps you get better gas mileage and helps your car last longer.

There are lots of little steps you can take to reduce your fossil fuel usage. After you've reduced the use of your car, you can consider upgrading to a greener model when it's time. Don't get rid of the car you have (unless it's a Hummer, then by all means, replace that evil thing and start reversing your karma) unless it is absolutely time to replace it, or unless you have more cars then you need. Make every effort to repair and maintain your car to keep it on the road longer. New cars take a lot of new materials and pollution to make, so buy used whenever possible. Consider getting a diesel (the engines are more efficient) so that you can run bio-diesel in, or a hybrid. Sadly, the dreamy diesel-electric hybrids are still a few years away, so we'll have to keep dreaming (and saving) for those.

These suggestions are based on the premise that reducing should come before re-using and recycling. If we reduce our demand for fossil fuels by using our cars less (and by using fewer cars), that will have a greater impact than simply changing the type of car we drive. Question yourself every time you reach for your keys: could I walk instead? Do I really need to make this trip now or could I combine it with another? Could I carpool? Do I even need to own my own car when I could share one? There are countless ways to reduce pollution and gas usage, all it takes is a little ingenuity and the courage to change the way we think and live. A small step in the right direction is certainly better than stubbornly doing nothing. Change is good!

Labels: cars, energy, environment/sustainability, lifestyle

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posted by Megan | 9:55 PM | 2 comments | buzz on this post | stumble it | digg it

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