Weekly Green Challenge (triple dose)

Last week’s challenge was to give your car some loving, and below I’ve given couple of simple and obvious suggestions.  Check out the honor roll for more ideas.

With the time change and checking your smoke detectors’ batteries, you should also think about getting the car a tune up.  In addition to saving gas money, routine maintenance will either help you over the 200,000 mile threshold or help you get a better trade-in credit.  Of course keeping the air filter and oil changed is important, but also be sure to have the tires rotated and their pressure checked.  Proper tire inflation helps with their wear and your gas mileage.

Our household is into our sixty-second week of being a one car household!  With our one year milestone and our return from walking hilly San Francisco, we decided to park the car one day a week.  If you have public transit, use it!  Not only will it reduce your footprint, but you are also providing a good job to someone in your community and decreasing the congestion for someone else.

This week’s challenge to have zero food waste is second nature for me, thanks to my mom’s super frugal habits.  Dinners’ leftovers became either lunch or a late night snack, and I carry on the tradition in our home.  If I don’t eat it, my husband will most likely throw it in a burrito wrapper with cheese to finish it off.  My biggest problem with food waste are those ingredients I buy to make special recipes then fail to incorporate into our weekly meal plans.  This week I have a portion of cream cheese left over from the super awesome peanut butter chocolate cake I made for our wedding anniversary, but other recipes include my favorite golden sesame tofu that leaves me with pineapple juice or the plethora of recipes that call for just egg whites or egg yolks.

Regarding the reclaimed or recycled challenge, I did go for Marcal’s Small Steps because it was half the cost of the Seventh Generation pack, and I don’t mind it (and my honey hasn’t complained yet either).  Thanks for your thoughts!

Climate Change

The facts supporting climate change have been widely reported across numerous media outlets; I wanted to post this to add one more blog to the list in support of making drastic changes to our lifestyles.

Climate change is just one of the many ills our society suffers because of our addiction with fossil fuels.  Looking for purportedly cheap coal, we send fellow citizens to work in coal mines; once the vein dies or becomes too expensive, we raze the mountains and dump the top into the surrounding valleys creating wastelands in lieu of forested habitats.  Those stream beds supply someone’s water somewhere in the chain are then filled with poisons and waste from the mining, and during rainy years like this one the fills can create huge landslides (which if it doesn’t kill you isn’t covered under a homeowner’s policy).

Our love of the automobile has lead us to build massive expanses of blacktop.  The power of the car has allowed us to move further and further from work and commercial centers which leads to more traffic congestion then demand for less congested roadways.  The fuel for these vehicles will not last forever, and even if it did, its exhaust is killing us.  Furthermore is the fuel worth the national security risk; what would the economy do if for whatever crazy reason OPEC decided to stick it to us tomorrow?  Public transportation was squashed by domestic automakers, and many people still argue public transportation will never be self-sustaining (thanks for a good jab, Doug Gibson!).  Funny how the sweetheart lease deals we make with big oil doesn’t impugn them.  However, as our population grows the stress on the current roadways will increase while the demand for housing increases, and no one wants to live near the noise and smell of major roadway.

Our food is tied closely to energy prices because almost everything Americans eat is soaked in oil starting from the time the seeds are delivered from Monsanto to their drive to your home in plastic bags in the back of your car.  If you are eating processed foods then you have even more oil on your hands not to mention the spare tire around your middle.

Even if our elected officials refuse to act, we can each do something small like grow some food, bring your own boxes and bags to the store, do without the car, or insulate your home.  These little things when compounded will help, but a phone call or email to elected officials can’t hurt.

Forty-Five Weeks!

We are at forty-five weeks with the one car household, and we are going strong.  We are now trying to decide how to celebrate the upcoming one year anniversary, and this week’s Change the World Wednesday Challenge from Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints is to park the car for twenty-four hours.  With our household, the car normally doesn’t get parked that long unless we are out of town.  My hope is that we can both use alternate means of transportation at least three times in the upcoming calendar week.  The humidity and no showers at work make this difficult, but if we ever hope to have a better public transportation system we have to use what we have and demand better.

One Car Household Week 40!

Frankly, I am a bit shocked that we have made it this far without seriously thinking about buying another car.  We have not had one conversation about even looking at cars aside from some day dreaming in which we get some fast and nimble little car that I can haul ass up and down back country roads (and in this fantasy I could so without endangering anyone, getting a ticket, or  wasting gas).  From the onset my honey has sacrificed the most by riding the bus and walking more than I have, but this week I have walked and/or rode the bus in five out of eight commutes!  My calves are singing in that good muscle building way, and I like to think I am getting less winded than when I started around Strive not to Drive.  Another benefit is that the stress that builds in my shoulders, arms, and wrists from typing all day seems to disperse by the time I get home; I don’t know if it is the endorphines or increased blood flow, but I certainly appreciate it.  I even walked home in the rain and stayed dry (although I have yet to try Beth’s bubble umbrella idea).

Strive Not to Drive Progress

Monday: I failed.  The rain kept me from walking, and I didn’t get any bus tickets.  Although we are almost a mile from the bus stop so even cutting the trip in half leaves a good bit of walking in the elements.

Tuesday:  I had half success.  While I did not get out of bed early enough to drive to work on time much less walk, I did roll my slacks up and walk home.  The weather was great this afternoon, and I really enjoyed the sunshine.  With the rain reprieve, everyone seemed to be mowing their yards so I sneezed most of the way home.

Wednesday looks good, but the rest of week has rainy evening forecasts.

Strive Not to Drive!

With the summer driving season quickly approaching (hello $2/gallon gasoline), Strive Not to Drive is next week.  Join me in taking a moment to think about you might be able to complete a few errands or a few commutes using the bus, walking, cycling, or carpooling.  With the weather clearing up, I plan on packing my lunch, clothes, and a book so that I can walk to and from work.  For our elected officials I will be photographing the most dangerous parts of my route (especially where road construction has recently occurred but no sidewalks have appeared).  Take that Big Oil!

Victory Garden and Mountaintop Removal

It has been a good week for environmental awareness and stewardship.  I was thrilled that Mrs. Obama broke ground on the first victory garden (in lieu of the Axis I think of unsafe food and corporate agriculture) since Mrs. Roosevelt; sixty years is too long to wait.  While I applaud the thought of it being organic, its proximity to swaths of golf course looking lawns might render the harvest much less than organic.  One step at a time, though, and I really am quite pleased.

The garden was the cherry, but the sundae came later.  On Tuesday announced that the EPA will stop issuing permits for mountaintop removal mining.  I have never encountered one of these wastelands, but the pictures are eerie.  Although this stops new mines, there are still existing mines.  Ashevegas mentioned this earlier this month.  Representatives Pricey Harrison, Phillip Haire, Susan Fisher, and Julia Howard are the primary House sponsors for H340 (Senator Steve Goss is sponsoring the sister bill, S341).  I hope you will join me in taking the time to say thanks as well as question the missing Senators Nesbitt and Apodaca and the missing Representatives.

Thank you!

Pricey.Harrison@ncleg.net

Phillip.Haire@ncleg.net

Susan.Fisher@ncleg.net

Julia.Howard@ncleg.net

Steve.Goss@ncleg.net

Those that have yet to sign on:

Martinn@ncleg.net

toma@ncleg.net

Don.East@ncleg.net

Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net

Cullie.Tarleton@ncleg.net

Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net

Phillip.Frye@ncleg.net

Joe.Queen@ncleg.net

Mitchg@ncleg.net

John.Snow@ncleg.net

Roger.West@ncleg.net

 

To toot our own horn, we are thirty weeks into our one car household adventure.  Admittedly my wonderful husband deserves the bulk of the credit as he sacrifices the most sleep and convenience.  However, I am stoked that the bus stop we use is finally getting a sidewalk, so I will have to ride the bus more to enjoy it.

One Car Household Week Twenty-Two

We are fast approaching the half year mark, and I am so amazed about how easy this has been.  In honesty, I must say my husband bears the greater burden.  Now that we are not suffering from the bitter snowless cold, I plan to resume my Thursday treks home.  I actually walked past three other pedestrians in the neighborhood, and I also felt like an old lady as I wanted to yell at a few cars to SLOW DOWN as they whizzed by me.  Although I spend much time complaining about the dearth of sidewalks, I must say I do appreciate the good long stretch of new sidewalk on my amended route.  The sad and inefficient note about this stretch is that they had sidewalks already, but no one had bothered to maintain them so they became a part of people’s yards.

Speaking of public transit and government waste, I wanted to give thanks to Doug Gibson over at Scrutiny Hooligans for his great comeback: “When did I-40 start making a profit?”  How can public transit be profitable if we live so far from everything and we don’t pay tolls?  How much sense does it make to spend millions on a parking deck then charge one dollar an hour to park there with an eight dollar per day maximum?  The newest downtown parking deck was estimated to cost $12 million dollars for 650 parking spaces, which breaks down to over $18,000 per space.  The notice doesn’t mention if this lot will be like the other decks that give the first hour for free, but I assume being closest to the courthouse this will not be an option.  

I think the economic stimulus will push us in a new direction as far as our transportation priorities fall; gas prices will rise again as oil is not a renewable resource, and the demand for transit will increase.  The Asheville Transit System seems really interested in listening to its ridership; hopefully, more service will arrive before Strive Not to Drive.

Transit Meeting

I arrived around four fifteen, and the banquet room was much fuller than I had expected. A power point presentation was running on a loop providing statistics about who rides, how long survey respondents have ridden, where riders come from and go to, and why people choose to take the bus. I assume these results were culled from the survey handed out to riders in October 2008 as the online survey is still available.  There were also several maps of the system with sticky notes for riders to post suggestions.  From what I could tell most people are in favor of evening, Sunday, and more frequent service.  Much to my dismay I didn’t pay enough attention to realize it is a drop in affair, which means I could have ridden the bus (which means I could be drinking a pre-night cap and wouldn’t have to drive back downtown in a couple of hours).  For better coverage visit, Scrutiny Hooligans.  

I did have another thought on my way back home from the meeting; a majority (possibly over 70%) loved the fare which means there is room for it to increase.   I know it would be a pittance (in revenue terms), but why not charge a higher fare for Sunday, holiday, or evening service (say 1.25 or 1.50)?  The Transit System could sell Monday through Friday 6a-6p passes for the current price of $7 for 11 tickets, $15 for a monthly pass, or $120 for a yearly pass, with a small increase for an anytime pass say $8-$10 for 11 tickets, $16-$18 for a monthly pass, and $125 or so for a yearly pass with the smallest increase in fares going to committed riders.  I think it is important to reward the committed riders who purchase the passes, especially the monthly and yearly passes.  I don’t purchase the monthly or yearly pass because I am terribly afraid of losing it, but if the passes were refillable scan cards (like NYC’s) a lost pass could be deactivated and reissued.  

Gordon at Scrutiny Hooligans mentioned businesses having their coupons on the bus and then the business would also have transit coupons.  Again I like the idea of transit users getting added benefit as well as hopefully reducing downtown parking needs without reducing downtown business traffic.

Don’t forget to take the survey, even if you find excuses not to ride, you can air them so hopefully they can be overcome.

Asheville Transit Survey

Thanks to Sherry for the survey heads up!  Please take the time to take the survey being put out by the Asheville Transit System.  Even if you don’t currently use the system, they would like know why you don’t use the system.  The survey is short, so I decided to elaborate on my answers below.

In order for transit to be more of an option in our one car household’s transportation plan, we need more sidewalks, more frequent service, which would include Sunday and evening service, and more shelters.  Sunday service is the most pressing need.  How can using transit be a transportation plan if it doesn’t run an entire day of the week?  Another frustration is the time it takes to use the system; although by car I am about a ten to fifteen minute drive to downtown; if use transit I have a twenty minute walk followed by a twenty-five or so minute ride.  Sidewalks would be great as they might provide some reprieve from the mud holes at the two closest stops (adding a bench with a trashcan would be even better, but the best would be a covered shelter with the sidewalks, bench, and trashcan).  

The best thing about the transit system is the fare; if you purchase the ticket book, you end up paying less than sixty-five cents a ride.  Even without a pass or ticket, the one dollar fare is less than what it would likely cost you to park the car downtown.  I have heard discussion about the fare boxes being updated to accept credit/debit cards.  I believe it would be better to make the passes and tickets refillable scan cards; the cards could reduce the waste of paper tickets and passes, and the scan cards would work for the employee sponsored cards (thus relieving the drivers from having to remember the plethora of passes).

While I would like to see a route down Long Shoals Rd to the Biltmore Park movie theatre and the Y as well as service to all the parks, especially the Arboretum, I feel it is more important to improve the existing routes and build more relationships with employers like Warren Wilson and Sonopress to expand the service area.  It would be great if the hotels would partner with the transit system to offer passes to their guests in lieu of the shuttle services most hotels offer, and I don’t see why downtown businesses would partner with the hotels to try to bring more people downtown without having to worry about parking.  Before another parking deck is built, the city, county, and other players should create park and ride locations then increase the parking rates in the public decks to encourage the use of the park and ride lots.

If the survey isn’t enough, do be sure to attend the public meeting, 22 January 2009, at the Civic Center from 4-7.  I would ride the bus down, but the last number six bus leaves downtown at 5:30.