The Realities of Ditching our Car.

Hi, it's Dana posting. On this beautiful fall day, the welcome sun beats down on the city of Buffalo.  We treasure these last bits of warmth, the, shall we say, calm before the storm.  We all know what's coming and as much as we might not want to think about it, it's nearly December!!! 

What does this all have to do with being eco-conscious in the Green City?  Well, Jon and I are trying to sell our car, and change our mindset about transportation.  We've already joined Buffalo CarShare, which is a fabulous not-for-profit here in the city, giving the locals access to a car, should they need it.  Since our car tends to sit in the driveway 3-4 days out of the week, we made the decision to ditch it in favor of CarShare with a mix of bicycling and public transportation.  This will decrease our carbon footprint and help us stay true to the ideals we want to espouse.

Blah, blah, blah.  The uber-lazy American part of me is screaming, "But I don't want to have to bike, in the dark, up to 464 Gallery on Amherst Street tonight! I know it's good for me, and not even that cold today, but still!  I want to get into my heated car, sit on my ass, and have someone do the moving for me!"  And then I think about the times I've taken longer (for me) rides, to a friend's house in Walden Heights, up to Cafe Allegro on Hertel Ave...and how great I felt after those rides.  Refreshed, invigorated, and yes, a little sweaty.  Truly, the pros outweigh the cons here, and I'm sure I'll be glad I did it.  So, cheer me on if you see me out and about, riding my beloved 1972 Schwinn Suburban, "Elma".  I am putting on my happy face and hopefully losing some of my aforementioned ass in the process. 

We'll see how this flies when it's blizzarding and 10 degrees out.  Hehe.  Keeping it positive!  Cheers...