A few months ago, during a weekend trip to a large city in the northeast, I noticed that my friends used public transportation or walked to anywhere we needed to go in the city. Upon returning back to my sprawled out city in the west, I realized that my life in Tucson had become so car-centric that I was driving to places that, if I were in Philadelphia, I would have walked.

A few months ago, during a weekend trip to a large city in the northeast, I noticed that my friends used public transportation or walked to anywhere we needed to go in the city. There were no hassles with parking -- just the use of good shoes or some spare change could get us anywhere we wanted to go. And once, when we really had to get across town in a pinch, we took a cab -- the only car I was in during the whole visit.

Upon returning back to my sprawled out city in the west, I realized that my life in Tucson had become so car-centric that I was driving to places that, if I were in Philadelphia, I would have walked. Granted, the public transportation here isn't quite as extensive, and the city is pretty spread out in comparison, but in my continuing efforts to reduce my negative impact, save some money on gas, and get some exercise, I decided that perhaps a little less reliance on my car was in order.

I pledged to try to find alternate modes of transportation. I started by getting the bus schedule from the Internet, which was pretty easy. I discovered a bus stop within a few blocks of my house that I didn't even know existed. Then, the next time I had to run an errand into the center of town, I figured out what time I had to leave, and took the bus. After doing it once, I decided that I could spend a whole day car-free.

Normally I drive to work, drive to run errands, drive home, and then usually take one more trip at night. But that day, I walked the 3/4 mile to the bus stop, took the bus to the University Library, did all my errands there, and took the bus back to my work. I got a bunch of sunshine, a great feeling of not polluting (three cheers for buses powered by natural gas!), and some exercise. I also had time on the ride to process the day. I even got my blood flowing on the walk back from the bus stop, so that when I got home I was ready to start on my random around-the-house-projects, instead of just slumping on the couch to recover from work. Most of all, I noticed the scenery around me -- the houses, the landscape, and the people I saw in my neighborhood.

Since then, I've gotten even more ambitious. I've started riding my bike to work every other day. I've discovered the little things that happen when you're not totally separated from the outside world inside your car. On my way home from work last week, I noticed a lizard who was stuck on the street trying to climb the curb, inches away from speeding traffic. I picked him up and put him on the sidewalk, and he scurried off. It was good to know that I had the chance to help save him, instead of being just another driver who might have squashed him. Another day, I got caught in a mild sprinkle of rain and felt the refreshing drops on my face as I rode home. And now I buy gas half as often as I used to, which makes me and my wallet feel good.

If you live in the northeast, or another large city with great city transportation, this is something you probably are already doing (if not, then you should). If you don't live somewhere with great public transportation, you can start by finding out what your city provides and trying to incorporate it into your schedule for one day. One day of caring can make a world of difference (for humans and lizards).

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Comments

Stephen commented, on September 8, 2006 at 11:08 a.m.:

Thank you to Joanna for her contribution to our site, as well as the good of her community, and the community abroad. There's no reason at all to not try a day without a car. And maybe it turns into a week, month, etc.

Give your gas card a breather.

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Ingredients:

• Bus schedule
• Good pair of tennis shoes
• Bike, skateboard or other non-coal burning source of transport (optional)

Caring Time:

• Your daily commute

Cost:

• You may make money! (the spare change you spend, minus your gas savings)

Results:

• Conservation of natural resources
• Satisfaction of making a difference
• Enjoyment of nature
• Small weight loss (no guarantees)