Well, it's been a busy week that has flown by. Car-wise- not as good as last week. I used my car once to go to Lowes for my ongoing, but close to the end of this phase, construction project. I could have used my parent's; they have made it clear that they don't mind. My Dad says, "it sits in front of the house most of the time anyway." They are two people with one car and are okay with the idea of being three people with one car. I don't know why I used my car instead of theirs- habit I guess.
My car was used by my brother; they're already a two person-one car household plus they have a 16 year old with a learner permit. Anyway, Sunday night, they had two events so Dave borrowed my car. This seemed to me to be well within my general low carbon footprint and frugality principles!
I used my car today, though I'm now into week 4, to take Dad and I to grocery and hardware stores while Mom went for another errand. We could have waited and taken their car later which is what we'll do when we I get rid of my car. On the other hand we carpooled, as well as combined trips efficiently.
Overall, I'd give myself a B for the week. On the plus side, I've reached a point psychologically where I know I can live without a car; I realized that sometime this week. I'm sure enough about it so that I called my son and told him to think about when he wants to make the trip from Rochester to pick it up. I will occasionally use my car until then, particularly, in situations where I would rent a car. I'm not going to actually rent a car until I'm no longer paying for this one. In Kentucky, maybe everywhere, you cannot own a car, even if you are not driving it, without insurance. And, my 6 month insurance bill, for $390, is due by mid October. If I have to pay for it anyway! It's a wrench, especially since I have had $0 in car expenses in the last month. When you don't drive, there's not even gas, just fixed expenses like insurance.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Assessment Week 2
I give myself a higher grade for week 2, an A-. For starters, I didn't use my car once. I took buses to and from work, did food shopping once with my father in his car, walked to farmer's market, walked to church, drug store & convenience store when I needed things, and walked to library. In fact I didn't even think about driving a car much. Now, that was partly because I spent the weekend in bed with the flu, still, it counts! Not much of a carbon footprint from autos from me for the week!
I find that when I think about using a car it's almost always for one of two main reasons: (1)shopping or (2)social activities or volunteer work. And, it's almost always for instant gratification. Even though I've been working on cutting down on consumption/shopping/spending for 3 years now, it's tough. I think I've worked through most of food shopping issues: going with my father when he goes is working well; in summer a farmer's market is within walking distance (about a mile); there's a convenience store 3-4 blocks away; I could get to my regular food stores by bus and I'm getting more used to taking buses all the time; and next summer I plan to have more of a garden and I get about one meal a week now from my garden. I realized that I had a drug store within walking distance when I had the flu and am happy to support a local business, even if it's a bit more expensive. My clothes shopping is minimal, I can bus to my favorite- a discount thrift store- and my mother would be happy to go together when she goes. The thing I'm having the most difficulty with is stuff for the house as I'm finishing the first round of construction work. I moved in April, 2010. One of my brothers is doing work for me (Brothers are wonderful!!) and needs more drywall mud and tape. I'm going to drive my car to Lowes this afternoon to get more. I can't carry a bucket of mud on the bus as it's heavy for me even for shorter distances. Now, I could use my parent's car for this and will when I get rid of mine, however, it will take even more planning.
Yesterday, when I was taking the bus home from work, I saw that the garden store I like is having a sale on perennials. I suspect, if I'd been driving a car past, I would have stopped!
I think about when, how & why to use a car. A friend is coming to visit in October. I will use my car to pick her up at the airport and drive us around. I decided that this was a situation I would rent a car for and since I'm still paying insurance, etc. for my car will use it now rather than rent. However, even with no car, I can handle an out-of-town visit by renting.
I find that when I think about using a car it's almost always for one of two main reasons: (1)shopping or (2)social activities or volunteer work. And, it's almost always for instant gratification. Even though I've been working on cutting down on consumption/shopping/spending for 3 years now, it's tough. I think I've worked through most of food shopping issues: going with my father when he goes is working well; in summer a farmer's market is within walking distance (about a mile); there's a convenience store 3-4 blocks away; I could get to my regular food stores by bus and I'm getting more used to taking buses all the time; and next summer I plan to have more of a garden and I get about one meal a week now from my garden. I realized that I had a drug store within walking distance when I had the flu and am happy to support a local business, even if it's a bit more expensive. My clothes shopping is minimal, I can bus to my favorite- a discount thrift store- and my mother would be happy to go together when she goes. The thing I'm having the most difficulty with is stuff for the house as I'm finishing the first round of construction work. I moved in April, 2010. One of my brothers is doing work for me (Brothers are wonderful!!) and needs more drywall mud and tape. I'm going to drive my car to Lowes this afternoon to get more. I can't carry a bucket of mud on the bus as it's heavy for me even for shorter distances. Now, I could use my parent's car for this and will when I get rid of mine, however, it will take even more planning.
Yesterday, when I was taking the bus home from work, I saw that the garden store I like is having a sale on perennials. I suspect, if I'd been driving a car past, I would have stopped!
I think about when, how & why to use a car. A friend is coming to visit in October. I will use my car to pick her up at the airport and drive us around. I decided that this was a situation I would rent a car for and since I'm still paying insurance, etc. for my car will use it now rather than rent. However, even with no car, I can handle an out-of-town visit by renting.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Reply to Deborah
I don't like the idea of proselytizing nor do I have a fervor to convert people to being carless. I just want to explore if and how it can be done if that's what someone chooses. And, I recognize that my experience is relevant mostly to middle class, mid-country Americans like myself.
What's wrong with a Buick? That's more wrong than any other car? OK, so I get in an ideal world, for an environmentalist, we'd all be walking and biking a lot more, and our vehicles would be shared, quiet, go 150 mpg, probably be electric, and that electricity would come from solar power. However, we're sooo far away from the ideal that it seems to me that any and all sincere efforts to improve the situation are welcome. Besides, saving the Earth is more likely to happen if lots of people are experimenting and innovating.
Besides, there are so many fronts to saving the Earth and you are far ahead of me in many areas, such as water usage and eating local. NO GUILT! NO BLAME! That's my motto, mostly, because I don't think either is useful to us at all, unless, perhaps it operates as a spur to action. In complex situations like this which are going to require many changes by many people and where we don't even know exactly what changes will be required, guilt and blame are not helpful. We (everyone in the world!) are all to blame; in this case, blame is meaningless.
My parents have a Buick as well, a car they like and have driven for a number of years now. More aspects than environmental ones have to be considered, e.g., comfort, cost and safety. It's probably more helpful to the Earth that they one only one car for 2 people than the type of car they own.
What's wrong with a Buick? That's more wrong than any other car? OK, so I get in an ideal world, for an environmentalist, we'd all be walking and biking a lot more, and our vehicles would be shared, quiet, go 150 mpg, probably be electric, and that electricity would come from solar power. However, we're sooo far away from the ideal that it seems to me that any and all sincere efforts to improve the situation are welcome. Besides, saving the Earth is more likely to happen if lots of people are experimenting and innovating.
Besides, there are so many fronts to saving the Earth and you are far ahead of me in many areas, such as water usage and eating local. NO GUILT! NO BLAME! That's my motto, mostly, because I don't think either is useful to us at all, unless, perhaps it operates as a spur to action. In complex situations like this which are going to require many changes by many people and where we don't even know exactly what changes will be required, guilt and blame are not helpful. We (everyone in the world!) are all to blame; in this case, blame is meaningless.
My parents have a Buick as well, a car they like and have driven for a number of years now. More aspects than environmental ones have to be considered, e.g., comfort, cost and safety. It's probably more helpful to the Earth that they one only one car for 2 people than the type of car they own.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Assessment: Week 1
I started on Sept 1 so want to do an assessment of my first week.
I used my car once, though I combined 4 errands into an exceedingly efficient route. I expect I will have to borrow my parent's car once or twice a month to do some errands I cannot do by bus or foot. Need to work more on this.
I drove my parent's car once to go to an event at a location difficult to get to by bus though it can be done. It was Sunday so buses don't run as often and I was afraid to risk getting stuck somewhere. I need to work on that too!
It was a meeting for some of us doing the Sierra Club's "No Impact Experiment" last week. The good news is that I learned more about rental cars from someone who uses them regularly; the couple has already dropped to one car from 2. Also, I read about zip cars in "The Economist."
Overall, I give myself a B- for my first week, not too bad for a relatively busy, stressful week for me.
However, I want to do much better. I will write more later; for now, I need to go catch a bus!
I used my car once, though I combined 4 errands into an exceedingly efficient route. I expect I will have to borrow my parent's car once or twice a month to do some errands I cannot do by bus or foot. Need to work more on this.
I drove my parent's car once to go to an event at a location difficult to get to by bus though it can be done. It was Sunday so buses don't run as often and I was afraid to risk getting stuck somewhere. I need to work on that too!
It was a meeting for some of us doing the Sierra Club's "No Impact Experiment" last week. The good news is that I learned more about rental cars from someone who uses them regularly; the couple has already dropped to one car from 2. Also, I read about zip cars in "The Economist."
Overall, I give myself a B- for my first week, not too bad for a relatively busy, stressful week for me.
However, I want to do much better. I will write more later; for now, I need to go catch a bus!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Bus chat
There were 3 of us waiting for the bus today, all professors at NKU, so we chatted while waiting. I had discussed with students taking the bus and 1 reminded me that buses in Cincinnati region all go to and from downtown Cincinnati so that students from the next county in Kentucky (Boone) can get to NKU in Campbell County only by taking one bus downtown and then another out through Campbell County. There are no buses that go across town. It's a problem with public transportation here as well as in many other cities.
We Americans are quick to say that buses (or trains or subways) cost too much, however, we conveniently overlook a large amount of costs of cars. Roads cost almost as much as subways to build, but, somehow that's not part of our calculation of auto costs! Nor are the environmental costs of driving cars considered. In addition to building roads they have to be maintained. In upstate New York, where I lived for 22 years, the biggest expense in many small towns' budgets is gravel, salt, trucks and labor for keeping the roads clear in the winter. And, that doesn't include the maintenance cost of fixing the potholes. I wonder what the cost of building, maintaining, and keeping roads clear is for the country as a whole or on a percapita basis. Then, there's the amount of money we spend on cops and ambulances, etc.
I am enjoying taking the bus, partly because it allows for conversations with neighbors and colleagues!
We Americans are quick to say that buses (or trains or subways) cost too much, however, we conveniently overlook a large amount of costs of cars. Roads cost almost as much as subways to build, but, somehow that's not part of our calculation of auto costs! Nor are the environmental costs of driving cars considered. In addition to building roads they have to be maintained. In upstate New York, where I lived for 22 years, the biggest expense in many small towns' budgets is gravel, salt, trucks and labor for keeping the roads clear in the winter. And, that doesn't include the maintenance cost of fixing the potholes. I wonder what the cost of building, maintaining, and keeping roads clear is for the country as a whole or on a percapita basis. Then, there's the amount of money we spend on cops and ambulances, etc.
I am enjoying taking the bus, partly because it allows for conversations with neighbors and colleagues!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September 1- D-Day?
Well, this is the day that I chose to start officially not using my car. I'm giving myself a few weeks of slack, just in case. I've used my car twice in the last week- once last week for combined errands and Monday this week to take my Dad back and forth to garage to get his car repaired. It seemed the least I could do given him taking me to event on Saturday. I went grocery shopping with him on Monday as well. Since he's going anyway, it doesn't inconvenience him and it means I don't need a car for that purpose. Unfortunately, grocery stores are about 2 1/2 miles away, a bit far to walk carrying bags, especially since coming home requires going up a steep and significant hill. Long term, I'm thinking perhaps a scooter would be a good idea.
I received a useful comment from my friend, Mary E. about my last blog. "Your post about independence and interdependence was very interesting. The beginning of your post reminded me of the gerontology classes I've taken and the research in that field about how losing one's license as one gets older is one of the hardest parts of aging because of the loss of independence and the subsequent reliance on others. If I remember right, this is more problematic for older adults in America than other countries where public transportation is used more often. Also, losing one's license is easier for people living in urban areas versus those living in rural areas because it is easier get to places without a car. Just something you might find interesting and/or relevant to your experiences, not that you are losing your license because of age!"
I received a useful comment from my friend, Mary E. about my last blog. "Your post about independence and interdependence was very interesting. The beginning of your post reminded me of the gerontology classes I've taken and the research in that field about how losing one's license as one gets older is one of the hardest parts of aging because of the loss of independence and the subsequent reliance on others. If I remember right, this is more problematic for older adults in America than other countries where public transportation is used more often. Also, losing one's license is easier for people living in urban areas versus those living in rural areas because it is easier get to places without a car. Just something you might find interesting and/or relevant to your experiences, not that you are losing your license because of age!"
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Spurious Independence?
Yesterday, my father dropped me off in the morning at a local food event in Covington (another city in Cincinnati region) where I was volunteering and he and my mother picked me up at 8 pm when I was done. What I found interesting was how much it bothered me. I felt as though I was in junior high again! I got my driver's license as soon as I could at age 16 and while I didn't own a car until I was about 24-25; nonetheless, I've been pretty independent transportation-wise, certainly since college. Having parents drop me off and pick me up made me feel not grown up, and as though I was inconveniencing people, even though my parents indicated they were perfectly willing to do this for me. It's one of the advantages of the auto; owning and using a car makes us "independent." It's part of our training, at least in the US. One of our major rites of passage to adulthood is getting your driver's license. And, it's a big part of American culture- our independence.
But, as I thought about it, I decided that the independence I feel because I own a car and can drive anywhere I wish is a spurious or false independence, or at least, a superficial independence. As an economist I am well aware of how economically interdependent we humans are. Adam Smith, in the first book on economics, The Wealth of Nations, discussed how many people were involved in the production of the shirt worn by the common laborer. Today, virtually every "thing" we purchase has a supply chain and web of production that's huge. Autos, for example, are made with parts from countries all around the world. The gas I buy to put into the car comes from other countries, is shipped in ocean liners owned by people from many countries, ocean liners that were produced in yet other places by yet other people who ate food produced in many places by many people. The simplest of economic transactions, say buying a Barbie doll (made with parts from 18 countries) or having a cup of coffee in the morning is dependent on a huge, huge interdependent web of production. (I consider it quite amazing!)
The old version of Robinson Crusoe is a favorite of economists because it features a man shipwrecked on an island and totally dependent upon himself for everything. Robinson Crusoe is amazingly talented and skilled at many things, yet, still must make do with very little. The moral economists draw from this story is how much better off economically people are when they specialize and trade. The new, and frankly much more realistic, version of this story is the Tom Hanks character in movie Castaway. He barely manages to feed and shelter himself for a relatively short period of time. Human beings aren't made for independence! We are interdependent, inherently so.
It seems to me our choice is between being interdependent more upon our local community or upon strangers. In modern political economies, we've replaced the interdependence of people in communities (tribes, families, villages, neighborhoods- the local) with the interdependence of people in markets (today, many global in nature). Although there have been many benefits to this- I am an economist after all!- perhaps we have gone too far. We need to find a better balance.
One of the people I talked to yesterday about this offered to pick me up for another event. Again, I have to find a balance for myself- what's OK to ask for or accept and what's not. I may be able to bus to this next event. I also began checking out taxi services online though it's clear most are oriented to taking people to/from airports. The problem with the bus system in Cincinnati is that all bus rides radiate out from downtown so getting anywhere off the spokes is difficult.
We're also interdependent around autos and auto use because we drive on roads- together. (I'll have to discuss the amount of subsidies for roads that we don't consider when we're comparing cars to- say buses or trains- in another post.) The more people on the roads, the less "independence" we really have. During rush hours and often other times, the major roads in Cincinnati become giant, slow-moving parking lots, and anyone on them is immensely frustrated.
It's interesting. I've read the literature on what makes people happy (crosses over psychology, sociology and economics). What researchers have found is that people adapt pretty quickly to new circumstances. This is particularly true for new products we purchase. There's an initial surge in our happiness and then we get used to having the new whatever and we adjust back to our normal level of happiness. This is true for lottery winners and on the negative side- it turns out that humans also adapt to becoming paralyzed. After an initial burst of unhappiness, the person adapts and adjusts back to their baseline/normal level of happiness. Now, what I find interesting is that there are some things, mostly experiences, that human beings don't seem to adapt to. On the positive side, people are more likely to remain happier with a great travel experience than a great new car, and are more likely to be happy if they have close friends and this happiness from friends remains. On the negative side, one of the experiences that people seem unable to adapt to is traffic congestion and long commutes; they make people unhappy initially and that unhappiness continues!
Anyway, this carless thing is stirring up a lot of reflection on my part! Thanks for listening.
But, as I thought about it, I decided that the independence I feel because I own a car and can drive anywhere I wish is a spurious or false independence, or at least, a superficial independence. As an economist I am well aware of how economically interdependent we humans are. Adam Smith, in the first book on economics, The Wealth of Nations, discussed how many people were involved in the production of the shirt worn by the common laborer. Today, virtually every "thing" we purchase has a supply chain and web of production that's huge. Autos, for example, are made with parts from countries all around the world. The gas I buy to put into the car comes from other countries, is shipped in ocean liners owned by people from many countries, ocean liners that were produced in yet other places by yet other people who ate food produced in many places by many people. The simplest of economic transactions, say buying a Barbie doll (made with parts from 18 countries) or having a cup of coffee in the morning is dependent on a huge, huge interdependent web of production. (I consider it quite amazing!)
The old version of Robinson Crusoe is a favorite of economists because it features a man shipwrecked on an island and totally dependent upon himself for everything. Robinson Crusoe is amazingly talented and skilled at many things, yet, still must make do with very little. The moral economists draw from this story is how much better off economically people are when they specialize and trade. The new, and frankly much more realistic, version of this story is the Tom Hanks character in movie Castaway. He barely manages to feed and shelter himself for a relatively short period of time. Human beings aren't made for independence! We are interdependent, inherently so.
It seems to me our choice is between being interdependent more upon our local community or upon strangers. In modern political economies, we've replaced the interdependence of people in communities (tribes, families, villages, neighborhoods- the local) with the interdependence of people in markets (today, many global in nature). Although there have been many benefits to this- I am an economist after all!- perhaps we have gone too far. We need to find a better balance.
One of the people I talked to yesterday about this offered to pick me up for another event. Again, I have to find a balance for myself- what's OK to ask for or accept and what's not. I may be able to bus to this next event. I also began checking out taxi services online though it's clear most are oriented to taking people to/from airports. The problem with the bus system in Cincinnati is that all bus rides radiate out from downtown so getting anywhere off the spokes is difficult.
We're also interdependent around autos and auto use because we drive on roads- together. (I'll have to discuss the amount of subsidies for roads that we don't consider when we're comparing cars to- say buses or trains- in another post.) The more people on the roads, the less "independence" we really have. During rush hours and often other times, the major roads in Cincinnati become giant, slow-moving parking lots, and anyone on them is immensely frustrated.
It's interesting. I've read the literature on what makes people happy (crosses over psychology, sociology and economics). What researchers have found is that people adapt pretty quickly to new circumstances. This is particularly true for new products we purchase. There's an initial surge in our happiness and then we get used to having the new whatever and we adjust back to our normal level of happiness. This is true for lottery winners and on the negative side- it turns out that humans also adapt to becoming paralyzed. After an initial burst of unhappiness, the person adapts and adjusts back to their baseline/normal level of happiness. Now, what I find interesting is that there are some things, mostly experiences, that human beings don't seem to adapt to. On the positive side, people are more likely to remain happier with a great travel experience than a great new car, and are more likely to be happy if they have close friends and this happiness from friends remains. On the negative side, one of the experiences that people seem unable to adapt to is traffic congestion and long commutes; they make people unhappy initially and that unhappiness continues!
Anyway, this carless thing is stirring up a lot of reflection on my part! Thanks for listening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)