Re-committed to being more environmentally minded

by Kavita

I had the chance to live and travel abroad for much of the past two years, and from Singapore to the Arctic Circle, everywhere I went, climate change was something that would arise in casual conversation with local residents (whether Singapore and the Maldives would sink as water levels rise, how much the monsoons in south India had changed in recent years, the extraordinary recent summer heat waves in Central Europe, the rainy winters in Finland where once it was only snow).

I moved back to Boston in June ‘07 and decided that I would try to go without a car for a few months and see what it was like. Initially the financial reasons were as much a factor as the environmental issues. Now, three months later, I don’t ever want to own a car again unless I can get one that runs only on air or love. Or biodiesel. I’d settle for a car that smells like a french fry.

The payoffs are ever growing - I save money on car payments, insurance, gas, etc., I save myself the stress of parking around town and moving the car on street cleaning days. My clothes fit better (I seem to have lost a few pounds from walking and carrying groceries). I’ve realized that things are actually a lot closer than they seemed when I was driving everywhere. I’ve discovered just how much things like parks and urban density mean to me. I have re-committed myself to being more environmentally minded in other areas of my life.