Comments on: Why I Failed At Driving Less

By: Mistaking Near For Good | Openly Balanced

Mistaking Near For Good | Openly Balanced — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:25:51 +0000

[...] made other changes as well – I’ve brought my activities closer to home to reduce gas consumption, become an avid thrift store shopper, and forsaken bookstores in favor of the library. All these [...]

By: Sustainable Eats

Sustainable Eats — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:00:32 +0000

Jess, the goal is to reduce car emissions and gasoline consumption. You didn’t fail! You did all those things and now you have a fun, new hobby. I’m proud of you!

By: Less Horse, Less Horsepower | Openly Balanced

Less Horse, Less Horsepower | Openly Balanced — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:48:30 +0000

[...] Why I Failed At Driving Less Tags: car-free, one small change, transportation « Previous Post Next Post » 18 Responses to Less Horse, Less Horsepower [...]

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:33:18 +0000

Yeah, car culture is definitely ingrained! I actually didn’t struggle with breaking the driving habit. My isolated, hermit-like nature means I tend to batch my errands anyways, and minimize (or procrastinate) leaving the house as much as possible. I guess that’s one good thing about being a total recluse! Hah!

I’m so glad I inspired you though . Go, go driving less!

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:31:17 +0000

I felt that way about DC – car unfriendly. Urbanization is necessarily going to play a big part in reducing our transportation (and heating, development, … the list goes on) impact, particularly as the world’s population continues to increase. And, as gas prices get more expensive, urban areas are going to become more and more attractive places to live.

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:28:12 +0000

Yay! Thanks so much for your comment. I appreciate the vote of confidence, particularly coming from you. And I think you’re right – it’s about the choices, which sometimes might involve opting out or changing our activities, rather than finding alternate ways of getting there.

By: Rachel Wilmoth

Rachel Wilmoth — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:36:54 +0000

I smiled a little bit at your perplexity that driving less was supposed to be harder–I think the car-culture is so ingrained in American society, that we expect that giving up driving (at least to a degree) is going to be insanely difficult. For my part, you inspired me to attempt the same thing. The most difficult part I’m encountering is actually remembering that I’m wanting to drive less. (“Oh crap. I was going to do all my errands today so I won’t have to drive at all tomorrow. I completely forgot!”) I don’t know if it was the same for you, but breaking the habit of driving wherever and whenever you want is the hardest part.

By: Kimberly Schaub

Kimberly Schaub — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:37:57 +0000

I love walking around in the city. It’s not a hard choice for me, really, because driving would be crazy. I live in downtown Seattle, and if I were to hunt for a parking spot, I’d probably spend more time than if I’d just walked from my flat. Seattle is almost car unfriendly, but there are several paid parking lots around. So if you drive to Seattle, plan on paying for parking. I really enjoy using public transportation, too. These are not painful changes, but I think they do help in the overall over-usage of personal cars.

By: Kathleen McDade

Kathleen McDade — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:06:32 +0000

I don’t think that’s cheating. I make those kinds of choices all the time — if it’s too far away, I often don’t do it. And that’s how it would be if we simply didn’t have cars any more — we’d have to make choices about the activities we do. We might not across town on a whim to see a movie. Or whatever.