My First Step... and I didn't even know it

What was my first step in going green?

It happened about a year ago, and I was not thinking about going green. To be honest, my first step was made out of necessity more than anything else. What did I do?

I sold my car.

For most Americans, getting rid of your car is next to impossible. How do you live in the suburbs without a vehicle? Try to make sense of the suburban sprawl, as Donald Fagen might say.

In 2008, though, the world will quietly reach a significant milestone: For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. Urban living has become a reality for more and more people. Sure, urbanization may not sound like a move towards green living. City life is often associated with pollution and poor air quality. That may be true to a certain extent, but don’t be deceived. Think about transportation. Public transportation, car sharing, even a bicycle—these are all ways to be green.

No, I didn’t sell my car because I was trying to be green. Not at all. I sold my car for less noble reasons. I was going through a divorce, and I needed the money. Those of you who know me might be laughing right now. The car I sold was a ten year old Geo Prism—hardly the type of vehicle that brings a large financial windfall! At the time, though, every little bit counted, and the money I got for the car, plus the money I saved in gas and insurance all added up. And this was before $4 a gallon gas.

I sold my car when I moved to the city, and of course that made it a lot easier. I signed up for Zipcar, and if I need a vehicle, I can rent one on an hourly basis. I commute to work on the subway, and I now have a bike that I hope to start using (it has a flat tire at the moment, so we must get that fixed first!). I don’t have to pay car insurance, and I never worry about my car being towed, or moving it for street sweeping, or snow emergencies. I never have to worry about a car breaking down, and I never worry about it failing to start in the winter.

I thought I would miss my car a lot more than I have. Since I was sixteen years old, I have relied on my car. Come to think of it, I was obsessed with getting my license and the promise that came with it from the age of thirteen. Letting go of my car was tough, but it’s funny how quick you adapt. And while I didn’t realize it at the time, I was drastically reducing my carbon footprint. There are a lot of sites that will help you calculate yours, and you can see the impact of driving your car.

My first step towards being green was done entirely in my own self-interest, but looking back it was in many ways one of the hardest steps to take. Let’s just call it a happy accident.