Be It: The Girl Sustainable on Transportation Options, Part 1

Habit is powerful and can be extremely useful, but habits can also keep us in the same old rut (no pun intended…okay, small pun intended) year after year. We tend to just perform the same actions in the same way without stopping to think about a better way, or to question if the action is really needed at all.

You can change that old rut by taking the time to think through your options instead of going with the first idea that comes to mind. The first idea is usually the most obvious one according to your lifestyle; that is, it is likely based on the habits of how you performed certain actions in the past. In this case, how you get from here to there.

For me, the silver steed parked in my driveway is the first thought I have when it comes to going places. I’m used to driving. It’s my best option, sometimes; it’s my only option, sometimes. But it’s not always my best option or my only option. Take a look at yours.

1. Automobile. This is an option, albeit a rather obvious one, so we must give it room in the discussion. Cars and trucks and the like have long been a preferred method of transportation, especially when one is trying to get from rural to urban or vice versa, or from one part of the country to the other. If you’re going to be buying a new car, look into hybrid options. If you have two cars, look into downsizing to one. If you can’t afford a hybrid, consider moving to a model that is more fuel-efficient.
2. Carpool/rideshare. You can find rideshare lots in communities all across America. Do a little research (call your City Hall or look it up on the internet) to find out where the closest commuter lot is for you, and if your only option is a car, you can at least combine your ride, fuel cost, and emissions with other people. If you have a friend or two in the area, see if you can carpool with them.
3. Bus. Public transportation, the form of the big, beautiful bus, are naturally becoming more popular as fuel prices go up. Have you ridden a bus lately? My husband figured out that by parking his car in the commuter lot at the other end of the bus route (the closest it gets to his work) and taking the bus every morning, he saves $4 on fuel costs. Every day. That adds up.
4. Train. I love riding the train. If you’re in a large city, there might be, oh, you know, what are those things called? Subways. (Midwestern me… subways are still a foreign idea here.) For me, train rides are limited to trips on the Amtrak, but I love those. They’re relatively inexpensive, especially when you compare the cost of a ticket to the cost of filling up your car’s gas tank. Plus you don’t have to worry about directions or driving. Take a book, or take a nap.

More tomorrow!

Image Credits: ecparker.