How green is your transportation?

[annavon]

Thought that this would be a fun thread. I have found that since I have been eating raw that it has re-kindled my interest in the environment and that I find that I am living a "greener" life. I have resumed recycling and re-using. I also bought a hybrid car (Toyota Camery). I felt that it would not only use less fuel, but also pollute less.

I'm curious to see how many of you have experienced an awakening of their environmental sense.

How many of you out there drive a fuel efficient car, car pool, bike or use public transportation?

[RawHeaven]

I haven't owned a car for several years. I sold it as I was living in a city where it was easier to get around with public transportation + parking was a nightmare. I didn't actually start out being concerned about the environment, but I've blossomed in this direction.

I walk, ride my bike, take public transportation.

When I need a car for errands I use Zip car. They have environmentally friendly vehicles which is nice.

For long-distance trips I rent a car.

I'm sure by the time I buy another car, there will be some sort of super Prius. :D

[freshlight]

I don't have a car either. Aren't we great? ;) :D:D:D

[Revvell]

Prius. Driving to AZ for the second time in less than 6 months. Love that car.

[JennaBoBenna]

99 Chevy Metro Hatchback (with Hello Kitty stickers, a NIN sticker, two Obama stickers, and an AHIMSA sticker ;) )
8 gallon tank...30-something mpg...less than $40 to fill it up :D (on good days, less than $30!)

[spicyfull]

I just try to make fewer trips.

[Eva]

Corolla in the US (stick shift, 37/42 mpg but without hybrid price tag). But I like to walk or bike when possible. My bike is a "hybrid"! -- a mix between a trail bike and one of those skinny-tired street bikes. I love my bike!

Walking or public transport here in Hungary, which is great. It is a two-hour trip every time I want to go to yoga, but no matter. I see and experience a lot every trip.

The car we have in Brazil is a Fiat Stilo? I tried to talk my husband into us just using the twinky little motorcycle (it's maybe 150 cc?) and the bus when we're there... but apparently a bus only comes twice per day down the quaint country road where our house is. Ah, well. It's a stick shift as well, and Carlos tells me the gas mileage is a lot like the Corolla. The engine's also wired to use alcohol instead of gas (or gas is OK too, depending on how much we care about performance).

If I lived in Budapest or another big city year round, I would love to not have a car at all...

[Eva]

99 Chevy Metro Hatchback (with Hello Kitty stickers, a NIN sticker, two Obama stickers, and an AHIMSA sticker ;) )
8 gallon tank...30-something mpg...less than $40 to fill it up :D (on good days, less than $30!)

In high school, my close friend Katie had that car (except it was not a 99), and I remember how funny she was about gas mileage. That was part of the reason she got that car (she was born a wise old lady, I tell you!)... and I remember how we would never use the AC (in FL no less!) and she would drive like an old lady, all in the name of saving gas. LOL. She didn't have any stickers on it, though, in the name of preserving the resale value, I'm sure.

[oai]

i walk. :) not only is it good for the environment, it's good for my body. i get lots of Vit. D, fresh air & support for my lymphatic system.

since my baby brother has a car, i don't feel a need to get one for myself. we found a '98 civic for him which gets pretty good mileage for the gas. it's not hybrid though. :o the next car my mom gets, i'll try to convince her to get a hybrid or pray for affordable electric cars by the time she wants a new one. :D

[Ilse W.]

I drive my 1999 Ford Explorer Sport 2-door 4x4 that only gets 17 mpg in town and maybe 19 on the highway. It's about to turn over 200,000 miles. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have the money to get a fuel efficient car, but then again the amount of energy that goes into building a car is soooo high that it would take me forever to recoup it. (Plus I would have to get a job to pay for the car, which would require me to drive a lot more, so that's no good.) I live in the country and use the car to take my dog down the road to the hiking trail or the river. I also use it to go the 6 miles to the store, but I do have a bike which I ride when the weather is nice. I would go without a car altogether, but that's not feasible when you live in the sticks and have animals. There is no public transportation to where I live. So far this month I have only used about 12 gal. of fuel, I'm trying to make one 16 gal. tank last a month. That's my contribution to a cleaner environment. That and getting the oil changed every 3,000 miles.
I'm about to put my house on the market and when it sells, I plan on spending at least half my time in Germany, where being without a car is a piece of cake.

[Raene]

No car here...I just use these large feet :)
I live only 6 blocks from where I work and everything's pretty convenient.
I do have a hard time though...I cant decide if it's better to live downtown without a yard, garden, or fresh air...or to live out on some land and drive a lot every day. Hmm.

[oai]

i wonder about that, too, raene.

i live in the city where most things are nearby, & i can walk to the stores, to school & to work easily. well, it wasn't easy before when i was out of shape though. :p i also love that every time i go out i get to see lots of people. something about just being around a lot people... i don't know.

i've been in the suburbs to visit my dad's side of the family a few times. i absolutely loved it. the lake was right there. all the ducks singing. i love breathing the air. i love biking without having to watch out for cars. :eek: everything was far, too. we would be on an hour drive to get groceries.

for me, i'm still not sure whether living in an urban or suburban area would be more green. it really depends on one's preference. i'm sure one person can make living in the suburbs more green than living in an urban area, & i'm sure another person can do vice versa.

[RawHeaven]

I don't have a car either. Aren't we great? ;) :D:D:D

Yes we are. :-)


Prius. Driving to AZ for the second time in less than 6 months. Love that car.

Love the Prius. I think it's the one I will buy when it's time.

[RawHeaven]

I cant decide if it's better to live downtown without a yard, garden, or fresh air...or to live out on some land and drive a lot every day. Hmm.

Or it could be somewhere in between. ;) Where you're still close enough to downtown to limit driving, but also live in an area where you can grow a garden and have some nice acreage. There are such places in northern california and I'm sure everywhere.

[zina]

I wish I could afford to switch my car to a hybrid.....right now I have a 2006 Grand AM...Is pretty good on mileage............I have thought of other options like public transport but the schedule is inconvenient...I am thinking of returning to cycling...that would be 40km of exercise (what a way to get cardio done for the day)..only downside is the weather here in the northwest..........I have lived in both the country and city and there are good points to each.....in the city I love the sense of community within such a small radius and the fact that I dont need a vehicle....in the country I love the fresh air and gardening.........So I have compromised for now........Live in a small city as close to be being in the country as I can............

[dread head vegan]

i have a 2000 VW bug. good gas milage 35 highway. my next car is going to be a smart car or a deasle (SP. Sorry) so i can run cooking greese in it :)

[GingerSpice13]

I gave up my car about 6 weks ago so walking is a large part of my life now..

[rawstrength]

The Good:
I don't own a car, so I get around mainly by walking, biking, public transportation and carpooling.

The Bad:
I took over 20 plane trips in the past year. I went to Asia twice, a twelve hour flight both ways. All in all, I've spent about 60 hours in an airplane this year.

[oceanee]

I have a Honda Fit and average 40 mpg. Great little car for my needs, super large interior despite tiny size. My work needs to be able to stack 36x48 art if need be.
I wish I could ride my bike to work but I chose to move out away from people which is a mental health trade off for now.
Oceanee