Go Green in Your Pocketbook: Use your ___, not oil and gas

Posted on: March 3, 2009 | admin | Comments Off | Print Article | Rate Post:

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Human beings have various ways to get from here to there: walking, driving, skijoring, whatever. Some ways pollute less than others, some will save you money, and some might even save you a gym membership.

Walking Bus

Instead of driving your children to school or yourself to work each morning and/or afternoon, start a “walking bus” route in which you and a few other families meet up along a specific route at specific times. This doesn’t need to be a large, community-wide event – though it could be (see link below for more information). To get the kids to school, it acts just like a roving carpool: each day an adult is in charge of picking up and dropping off each of the kids along the route. For work, get a group of people from your office or who work in the same part of town to commit and meet along the way. You save money by not driving, save the environment by not polluting, and get to enjoy visiting with friends every morning and afternoon.

Bike It

Make like every kid in Seward and use your bike to get around. Traveling by bike can allow a two-car family to go to a single vehicle – that’s big savings. Even those living outside of city limits can pedal a few miles into town, and it takes less time than you think.

Rick Kool, of Victoria, BC, commutes more than 10 miles roundtrip for work year round. To do this in Alaska, studded tires and warm clothing are all you need to ride in the not-so-balmy Seward weather. Even just riding during the summer months adds up both environmentally and in your pocketbook:

“You could likely buy a good bike every year for less money than most pay for car insurance, let alone gas, repairs and depreciation,” says Kool. “You can also purchase sexy and cool spandex bike shorts for less than a single tank of gas.”

Get Creative

“My whole neighborhood paddles to work by kayak, canoe and rowboat,” says Ann Stewart, the Public Education Coordinator at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre in Bamfield, BC. Love the water? Lowell Point residents could easily kayak to town on nice weather days – so could those living across the bay, along the shoreline in town, or across the lagoon for that matter!

The point is to think outside the box, and make it fun. An old friend of mine in high school use to walk his trap line on Mount Marathon to and from school. Find a passion or hobby and work it into your normal movement from point A to point B.

And When Driving is Necessary:

Carpool

When you must drive, don’t drive alone. Daily carpools are ideal for school and work (this can even be done with take-home vehicles, should your employer provide them). Other carpooling options: wait and go to Anchorage with a second family who also wants to run to Costco; pick up both the shortstop and the left fielder when driving your pitcher to the big game. If you’re going to The store, pick up the phone and make sure a neighbor doesn’t need to go too – or make like the local area seniors and have a standing date to travel to the store together; the shopping gets done and you’ve managed to visit at the same time.

Plug It In

I didn’t plug in the truck my husband and I share one evening this winter, and a few hours of his time and the cost of a new battery later was enough for me to take the time to plug in the block heater, even if I’m lugging around a car seat and a screaming kid. The environmental savings are big too: Studies have shown that plugging-in cuts carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from cold starts by an average of 60%, according to the “Plug at 20” degrees campaign website.

Check Tire Inflation…

…and keep up with routine maintenance. A well-running car – especially one with properly inflated tires – uses less gas, which saves you money. A vehicle in good mechanical shape also pollutes less. Proper maintenance prolongs your vehicle’s lifespan, keeping the cost of a new one at bay – though when your’s is a junker, you may want to consider retiring it to car heaven and purchasing a more environmentally-friendly model.

Plan an Errand Day

Don’t run to the store, or to the bank, or to city hall, every time you think about it – gas gets guzzled up quick with daily stop and go driving. Pick one day a week, perhaps in the afternoon, when you will use the car to run errands. Plan the driving route (or park and walk if the errands are close) and if something “comes up” during the remainder of the week – let it wait. This saves you time and money, as well as CO emissions. That’s going green that you can take to the bank.

Links

http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/commuteguide.htm

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/

http://www.ci.anchorage.ak.us/healthesd/EngineBlockHeater.cfm