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!
Thanks for sharing your experiment. I'm amazed at how much a car costs, direct not even hidden costs. Ironically, I am contemplating buying another car. My current car is something my father helped me pick out 8 years ago since neither Bill nor I are very good at car shopping. My father loved cars - and knew how to work on them. So here I am, an environmentalist, driving a buick. It's been reliable though, but now is starting to fall apart. The AC quit working last summer, now a window doesn't always work. So I've been looking around - yet I think being car free would be a big eco-step. Convenience may prevail over principles. I may have to admire you from afar.
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