Save Something... i.e. Yourself, Earth, Money

We're addicted to cars and oil in the United States. I say "we," however there are many of us, while a minority, that do not follow the rest of the country's consumption habits.

Essentially, part of the problem that is 'natural resource overconsumption' includes a lack of public transportation infrastructure. Likewise, the spread-out nature of our cities, towns, and suburbs promote the use of individual cars as modes of transportation. For many people, there is no option but to drive your own car. How about those that live in cities, or suburbs that have public transportation available into the city?

It is the responsibility of people who have the ability to go green, by commuting to work via public or shared means, to do so. The world's oil supply is running dry and growing demand from India and China are not going to make the supply any more abundant. Rather than 45 people driving their cars to work, think about the effort, gasoline, frustration, and lack of productivity that those 45 people could save by taking a bus. Think about how much more productive our society could be, given the functionality that Blackberry and PDA devices provide nowadays. By the time you get to work in the morning, there are probably a dozen e-mails awaiting your immediate response. Why not see to them all during your commute, and relieve the stress placed on the rest of your day?

If you can take public transportation, dump your car. There are means of getting around not having a car. Live near a public transportation station, either rail or bus, that can get you to work. Carpool with a friend to work, or drive to the nearest bus/train station and commute from there. When you think about it, you'll definitely save money because public transportation is much cheaper than each gallon of gasoline that you must pump into your car to make it get you to work every day. It is a luxury to drive a car.

If you're not seeing the light yet, consider this: you'll be proactively saving your own life by not driving. The benefits here are multifaceted. Going green by taking public transportation saves gasoline and, therefore, carbon emissions, sure, but do you have any idea the ridiculous number of car accidents that occur each year? It's not a matter of whether or not you will be in an accident, it's a matter of when. A car accident can cost you your life, and in two different ways. Firstly, an accident can be perilous. Secondly, if you're at fault, then you may have committed a serious crime. Therefore, your life is, in a sense, comparably over. Accidents happen, sure, but why take the risk of being in one? A fender-bender is a lot of hassle... especially if someone is injured.

So do yourself and society a favor: take public transportation if/when you can. If you're in a bus and it gets rear-ended, you don't have to worry about being at fault. You can rest assured that all the problems associated with an accident rest with the drivers of the vehicle-i.e. not you.

Take the money you save on gasoline by not driving your own car, and get a Blackberry or an iPhone. Then, during your commute on public transportation, use the device to get work done! You can be very productive! It may get you out of the door earlier at the end of the day, and back home where you [hopefully] want to be. Help yourself take back your life and the planet at the same time. Kiss your long drives goodbye and know that you're saving money, saving the planet, and saving yourself.

*muah*