Mesquite Hugger Disclaimer 1: Electric Cars (and Bikes)

This is not quite an eating crow post, but there will be a little back-stepping. You see, I go on and on about electric cars, bikes, and scooters. And I do think those things are extremely important in the fight to reduce carbon release and widespread environmental poisoning.

But there are definitely cleaner (and cheaper) options. And you do not have to buy an electric car (or bike) to clean up your transportation act.

You are probably thinking to yourself, Well here he goes. He's gonna start rattling on about propane (and propane accessories) or veggie oil or biodiesel or that car I saw on Discovery that runs on Keystone light and apple vinegar...

But it's simpler than that.

• Shoes
• Bicycles
• Carpooling
• Buses
• Trains

My kind of green transportation!

Shoes. It's pretty simple. If it's in walking distance, not much is greener (or healthier) than walking.

The coolest minivan ever!

 

Bicycles. Yep. The plain, old, everyday bicycle is an amazing tool for preventing world damage. Yes, there is a carbon footprint to the manufacture and maintenance of a bike, but it's nothing compared to a car. (You may already have a bike. If so, nothing is greener than the one you already have. If not, lots of well-kept used bikes are out there just begging to be ridden. Buy used or see if anyone around you wants to give one away.) Riding a bike is also great for your heart, your brain, and your physique. Pedal power!

This may be overdoing it on the carpool idea (click here for more fun Beetle stuff)

Carpooling. Imagine you tooling along in your electric car. Then look around and notice all the other drivers around you driving along in their gasmobiles. Four of you in a gas-burner would be much greener than you in your Leaf and three others in their three stinky gas cars. On the other hand, if you were carpooling in a Leaf...you four would be eco-superstars!

Go big, go green, or go home (or take the big green bus home!)

The Bus or the Train. This is just carpooling on a much larger scale. If the goal is releasing less carbon, mass transit is the clear winner when compared to a bunch of people in cars. If everyone had an electric car, the balance might change, but I don't see us there any time soon.

Now that's just creepy!

Sure, not every trip is possible on the options listed, but every single gas-burning trip avoided is a win for us all.

May you think before every trip and find better options!