Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day


When was the last time we at Bonzuko wrote about not driving? Ah yes, it was Bike-to-Work day last summer. Well, today is Earth Day, when folks across America spend a moment to think about what they can do to improve the environment.

The Bonzuko hombu has done a couple things lately to be "greener"--using our wonderful computers and phones to explore non-paper ways of doing school and business. We brew our own beer, which way cuts down on our recycling-of-cans/bottles output.

But the main green thing we do here is something we've done since we met (and Jenn has done all her life): we don't drive, nor do we own a car.
Consider these questions for a moment today on Earth Day: what would your commute be like without your car? Where would you work if you had no car? What time would you have to have left your house today if you weren't driving to your destination? How much gasoline do you think you'll burn today? When was the last time you walked two blocks (a machine inside a gym doesn't really count)? Four blocks? A mile? What would you need to carry with you if you had no car today? How far can you carry five bags of groceries before you drop them? What kinds of errands would you be able to run today if you had no car, and how much time would it take you? How much will you pay in car insurance and parking this month, and what would you do with that money if you had it back?

3 comments:

Bonzuko said...

Great post Jenn! Every day is Earth Day, or it's just a put-on.

MarcusP said...

I was so intent on getting rid of my car when we moved back to Boulder, and though my driving has dropped off pretty sharply (no 50-mile roundtrip commute anymore), I was ashamed to realize today, when I DID ride my bike everywhere, that I probably could be doing it almost every day. Good on ya for cutting the umbilical so thoroughly!

Bonzuko said...

Thanks Marcus! Actually I never had an umbilical to cut, so in some ways it's probably been easier for me than someone who was a driver and then stopped.