Thanks, but No Thanks, Chevy
The email began with the promise of particularly fine blog schwag:
Because you are a green parent I thought you might be interested in an opportunity to experience one of General Motors’ green and family friendly vehicles, the Chevrolet Equinox.
Ah, yes: Since I’m a green parent, they’d love to send a new car over for me to try. I’m thinking it has more to do with the fact that I run this site, and also Lighter Footstep. The third-party public relations firm making the pitch states plainly on their website that they “reach targeted audiences, such as the people behind blogs, podcasts, vlogs, and social communities.” Not a thing wrong with that. But I really must decline.
No car is green …
… Greener, perhaps, but no automobile is really green. Not even those pricey hybrids. When you consider that the vast majority of U.S. car trips are carried out with a single occupant, the idea of moving some two tons of plastic and steel to transport a couple hundred pounds of human cargo makes very little sense. Our dependence on individual car ownership is unsustainable.
Don’t get me wrong: My experiment in bicycle lifestyle hasn’t turned me into an anti-car snob. The Equinox is a nice-looking crossover SUV, I wish General Motors well, and the PR company that approached me was kind to think I’m worth asking.
Still, I’m happy on my bike. Every trip I take on two wheels is one less car on the road. It keeps the air a little cleaner, a little more oil in the ground, and a bigger smile on my face.
What families really need
Our whole economy, from the way we build our cities to a substantial portion of household monthly budgets, revolves around automobiles. We’re prepared to throw thousands of dollars a year at auto financing, repairs, gasoline, insurance, and parking. Multiply this times two (or more) for multi-car households. It’s no wonder we’re working ourselves to death: We have to pay for the expensive cars that make it possible for us to go to work each day and earn money to pay for our expensive cars.
What 21st century American families really need to lead simpler, healthier, more sustainable lives isn’t greener cars — it’s fewer cars. While it would be nice to think that education can move significant numbers of people from auto showrooms to the local bike shop (and, yes, we can do better in that respect), it will take many years to create the conditions necessary for widespread change.
A cycling family with two tandems (click to enlarge)
We tend to think of cycling’s success in places such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam as a function of gentle terrain and European urban compactness. In fact, it has taken city planners decades to craft dedicated bicycle throughways and the traffic-calming features necessary to make people feel safe on two wheels. In the case of the United States, it will also take a sustained commitment to affordable and convenient mass transit, which hardly exists beyond the city limits of major population centers.
But it all starts with individual decisions to think beyond the narrow horizon of a car windshield. Here’s mine.
Family bicycle photo courtesy of the Missouri Bicycle Federation and Caryn Giarratano / CC BY 2.0
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About the author
Chris Baskind writes about the environment and simpler living. He's also an advocate of carfree transportation, relying entirely on bicycles since June, 2009.Three years ago, Chris launched Lighter Footstep, a pioneering website focused on greener, healthier, more affordable living. It was recently acquired by the Mother Nature Network (MNN). Connect with Chris on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Just when you got rid of it they are trying to pull you back in.
Before I got rid of mine I estimated how much it would cost me to own a car. After that the decision was easy. For some people I maybe belong in a lower social status of life. But oh dear, I have fun…
Since June, I've *needed* a car three times. Twice, I bummed rides. Once, I just let things fall down. Neither was a great option, but there's very little public transit here.
Next up: the Holidays. I'm guessing I'll have to rent a car at some point to see way-out-of-town family. Even at holiday rates, that's a much better deal than even a single month of car ownership.
The Equinox looks nice. I's reasonably efficient for a gas-burner — though not as efficient as pedaling.
You've hit the nail on the head Chris, city planners must make a way for this type of lifestyle choice. Another piece to the puzzle are “planned communities.” The 'burbs are killing us environmentally. They do not generally have any form of public transportation, most families are multi-care families, it takes more energy to move the building supplies to the area, the list goes on and on. The other effect of these domiciles is that there is little green space. The book “Last Child in the Woods” is clear about the need of children to have green space in which to grow their creativity and intelligence. Two square feet of grass is not going to cut it, and the parks are so manufactured that they feel more like mausoleums than parks. I live in a city wherein one avenue was designed by Frederick Olmsted. This street is full of green space. Over 100 years ago, those who designed and planned cities did so with more forethought than we have today. Planners today don't think past one generation – thus we could end up with areas of no inhabitants, but lots of wasted resources.
I will stop ranting for the day.
There are bicycle activists who — in good faith — oppose bike lanes as a kind of “segregation.” I'm not one of them. People ride bicycles when they feel safe doing so. Even the Europeans, who are decades ahead of us on shifting traffic from four to two wheels, know that you *must* create facility for bike transport if you expect people to ride.
We have very little bicycle infrastructure in my county. I am aware of only one local company which makes any provision for secure bicycle parking (ironically, it's Gulf Power — which runs a coal-fired power plant here). Some major routes have bike lanes, but the markings are inconsistent, and the lanes seem to disappear in exactly the places they're most needed.
Lots of work to do. And please consider More Minimal a safe place to rant.
What is good about renting a car is you can pick a car you need. Personally since I joined the car-sharing club I have used the whole scale they offer, from the small one to the “mothership”. And I have used them only the time I have needed. For the longer trips I compare different options – bus/train/car.
Amen! Couldn't have said it better myself, Chris!
A man of principles. Well done. Politely, too.
Well said! Its really too bad more people don't think this way.
Well said! Its really too bad more people don't think this way.