Accidental Environmentalism
22-Sep-08
environmentalism: Advocacy for or work toward protecting the natural environment from destruction or pollution.
accidental: Occurring unexpectedly, unintentionally, or by chance.
I am not an activist. I don’t go to rallies, stand in picket lines, or write letters to members of Congress. I recently drove a big SUV to work everyday, covering a 32 mile round trip. I walk when there’s no escalator, elevator, moving sidewalk or mule handy. I park as close as possible to my destinations, and until this past year, smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for the last decade and a half. In short, I was the stereotypical lazy, over-indulging and over-spending American. I no longer do any of these things. Why? To save the planet? To ease environmental burdens? To reduce excessive waste and create a healthier lifestyle? Er… sure. Sort of. I view the positive results from these changes as happy coincidences, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that my number one motivator was cost.
Aside from the near-disappearance of gasoline in middle Tennessee these days, gas is and will continue to be expensive. I’m not talking $5 a gallon expensive, but even when it’s pegged at “reasonable” prices (say, the low $3 range) it still costs a considerable amount of money to fuel a large vehicle that burns it almost as quickly as filling it up. Cigarettes are another “luxury” item I could do without, and besides the fact that the obvious negative effects of inhaling burning carcinogens and tar aren’t as good for you as doctors of bygone days claimed they were, they are pricey. Upwards of $4 a pack in some areas, a pack a day habit will run you almost $1,500 a year.
Driving my car to and from work every day cost me roughly $120 in gas a month. Parking downtown is no free ride either- my work graciously throws in a $55 stipend, but even with that much of a discount, a nearby parking garage requires an additional $65 a month for the privilege of obtaining shelter. I recently tried to get back in shape, and discovered to my horror that my 33-year-old body no longer responded like it did when I was ten years younger. I ended up creating a stress fracture in my foot because I simply wasn’t used to running, and it took a long time for me to heal from a sprained knee from playing with my son. I could see myself turning into a gimpy old man at the young age of 33, so I decided action must be taken. Again- being healthier was definitely something I desired, but the sheer cost of x-rays, doctor’s visits and therapy rang dollar signs up in my head, and I didn’t want to pay for services that I could easily circumvent if I just walked a bit more, and parked a bit farther away from the stores I visited.
After some careful research, I saw that besides offering parking garage options, my work would also put that same $55 toward public transportation. The MTA bus, which I have always seen and never stepped foot on, besides living my entire life in Nashville, suddenly seemed extremely appealing. An unlimited pass that allows me access to the bus’s service cost $78 per month, which, after my company’s contribution, only comes to $11.50 per paycheck for me. I could cut out my gasoline consumption almost completely by taking it to work, and since the bus stop is only a mile and a half from my house, I could dust off my bicycle and actually get a bit of daily exercise. It’s the perfect mix of what I had needed and been craving. Now in the mornings, I have a brisk bike ride, followed by a leisurely thirty minutes of reading a book, or listening to an audio book or new album, while angry, tensed-up motorists converge and merge around my public transport.
We decided to sell our gas-guzzling SUV, because we simply didn’t need it any longer. We still have our primary family truckster to cart the kids around, and for taking vacations, and running errands- but my daily commuter became obsolete, and after an initial panic, I must admit that it is a welcome riddance. We’ve lowered our car insurance premiums and maintenance prices by half, and used the sale of the car to pay down some debt.
Have I helped reduce our carbon footprint? Absolutely. Do I believe that biking and busing are eco-friendlier ways to commute as compared to driving? Undoubtedly. Would I have done it if it meant that I wouldn’t be saving nearly $4,000 annually? Well… perhaps. It certainly doesn’t hurt to be paid to be green.
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