I really LOVE Good footprints, Jennifer! Your posts are inspirational and a great reminder to put action behind our words. As for driving, I live in the foothills so being car-less isn’t an option right now. However, during the pandemic when everyone drove less, I absolutely loved NOT getting in the car and walked in my mountain neighborhood every day. Walking changed the way I saw the landscape around me and I’ve kept that habit going. I get to work from home most days, and when I do have to travel for work, I’ll take the bus to the airport whenever possible. I plan out my errands for the week and try to make as few trips to town as possible. And when I do travel to town, I find a bit of time to meet a friend or client for coffee, and walk to do many errands. This allows me time outdoors, and some exercise thrown into the day. Eventually, I’m hoping to sell my Subaru when I can and buy electric when I can afford it. I will continue to explore ways to leave the car behind several days each week. Thanks for your good footprints, wonderful messages, and inspiration. ❤️
Thank you so much, Dawn! I'm having so much fun brainstorming and writing Good Footprints and it means THE WORLD to me that people are finding value in my ramblings :)
And yes... you've hit upon my ultimate challenge, as truly, I'd love to live more remotely, but have no idea how to combine that desire with my newfound love of not having a car! Living in Telluride struck a nearly perfect balance as I only drove maybe once a month to get out of the valley (but of course, all supplies for everyone to live there still need to be shipped into town so, there's certainly a carbon cost there, too).
I love that the pandemic invited you to walk more in your neighborhood and enjoy driving less, and that you've extended that habit into our post-pandemic world. It feels so good doesn't it? We've gotta get you on Amtrak for one of your trips to Omaha next -- such quality writing time on the train, too!
Thank you so much for being part of this little community ❤️ I'm excited for your substack soon!
You are an inspiration, Jennifer! As a resident of L.A., I often wonder if I could be car-less. A renter with street parking, I do what I can to reduce my car use. I try not to drive on Saturdays (and am 99% successful in that). I have a job now that is less than 4 miles away. (Not yet 3.5 years in and I'm only just now about to cross the 15k mark.) I drive a Fiat (ciao) and want my next car to be electric, but I'd have to figure out the charging situation (homeownership is a little ways off yet). I keep looking for that solution, though. This is the last car I will take to a filling station, that's for certain. We will be WFH in August, so I might sell my car (currently, its value is higher than what I owe on the loan...shocker) and will look to see what electric I can afford (they are pricey!). You rule! xo
L.A. is definitely one of the most challenging place to even *think* about trying to live car-free -- my son just moved there without a car and he's actually been getting around ok so far (it's only been a month). He's learning that the train and buses may actually be more reliable than he found the buses in NY/NJ (who knew!?) but he definitely still wishes he had a car so... I get it!! I do love that more electric options are coming available, but it still takes so much CO2 to produce a car, electric or not, and either way I desperately wish improvements to our public transportation infrastructure were faster, especially in places with immense sprawl and dense populations like L.A. Anyway cheers to things improving!! And thank you for your comments here -- and your good footprints :) xo
For me--I can't imagine it in the long run but at least we have an electric vehicle for all things errands and within 25 mile radius. (We filled up our tank 3 times in 3 years). Covid helped! my husband takes the bus to work. He has every day since he started working at NOAA in Boulder. His kids rode the bus without thinking about it. He will make his Boulder appointments only on workdays. No exceptions. Super cool! Did I mention he is a climate scientist and has been living here since the late 80's? Lots of those folks take alternative transportation.
I didn't know all of this about you! And given your husband's work, that you guys are making these choices definitely feels like some kind of climate-scientist-approved validation that one person's driving habits can make a difference. Thanks for sharing all of that!
This is quite interesting, Jennifer. I applaud you for doing it. You mentioned maybe missing listening to NPR and I have to tell you, I drive A LOT. But when I am on a several hour trip I try to make it productive because I hate "wasted time." Music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. I try to keep busy and push my growth forward while driving. Of course, these are all things I can do while using public transportation, too. So again.....I'm very impressed!
I was the same while driving -- definitely enjoyed my dedicated listening time! The one thing I haven't done yet is invest in a good set of earphones for walking/public transit. I tend to like to hear birds and other sounds of the city while walking but if I end up with more of a public transit commute I do sometimes take along my Beats :) Thank you for your comment!
This made me feel good about not having a car! Although from where I am (Philippines) being car-free is often difficult—it takes sometimes 40-50 minutes for a bus to arrive in our village, public transportation in the capital city are always overpopulated, not to mention the heat! But lately I've seen improvements. And I do enjoy commute. I witness and observe a lot of things and now other than that I have something new to keep in mind that I am actually leaving good footprints!
I love that you're able to enjoy your commute even without a car and have a new positive spin to add to it :)
There are many places even here where the bus takes an hour to arrive and/or no bus exists. So much of the US has been designed around cars, especially as you move westward across the country, and since Americans emit such high levels of CO2 per capita, I do wish we'd take more responsibility -- as a country -- for our emissions. Improving public infrastructure would have a dramatic and measurable impact across the globe (and to the heat you mention!)
I really LOVE Good footprints, Jennifer! Your posts are inspirational and a great reminder to put action behind our words. As for driving, I live in the foothills so being car-less isn’t an option right now. However, during the pandemic when everyone drove less, I absolutely loved NOT getting in the car and walked in my mountain neighborhood every day. Walking changed the way I saw the landscape around me and I’ve kept that habit going. I get to work from home most days, and when I do have to travel for work, I’ll take the bus to the airport whenever possible. I plan out my errands for the week and try to make as few trips to town as possible. And when I do travel to town, I find a bit of time to meet a friend or client for coffee, and walk to do many errands. This allows me time outdoors, and some exercise thrown into the day. Eventually, I’m hoping to sell my Subaru when I can and buy electric when I can afford it. I will continue to explore ways to leave the car behind several days each week. Thanks for your good footprints, wonderful messages, and inspiration. ❤️
Thank you so much, Dawn! I'm having so much fun brainstorming and writing Good Footprints and it means THE WORLD to me that people are finding value in my ramblings :)
And yes... you've hit upon my ultimate challenge, as truly, I'd love to live more remotely, but have no idea how to combine that desire with my newfound love of not having a car! Living in Telluride struck a nearly perfect balance as I only drove maybe once a month to get out of the valley (but of course, all supplies for everyone to live there still need to be shipped into town so, there's certainly a carbon cost there, too).
I love that the pandemic invited you to walk more in your neighborhood and enjoy driving less, and that you've extended that habit into our post-pandemic world. It feels so good doesn't it? We've gotta get you on Amtrak for one of your trips to Omaha next -- such quality writing time on the train, too!
Thank you so much for being part of this little community ❤️ I'm excited for your substack soon!
You are an inspiration, Jennifer! As a resident of L.A., I often wonder if I could be car-less. A renter with street parking, I do what I can to reduce my car use. I try not to drive on Saturdays (and am 99% successful in that). I have a job now that is less than 4 miles away. (Not yet 3.5 years in and I'm only just now about to cross the 15k mark.) I drive a Fiat (ciao) and want my next car to be electric, but I'd have to figure out the charging situation (homeownership is a little ways off yet). I keep looking for that solution, though. This is the last car I will take to a filling station, that's for certain. We will be WFH in August, so I might sell my car (currently, its value is higher than what I owe on the loan...shocker) and will look to see what electric I can afford (they are pricey!). You rule! xo
L.A. is definitely one of the most challenging place to even *think* about trying to live car-free -- my son just moved there without a car and he's actually been getting around ok so far (it's only been a month). He's learning that the train and buses may actually be more reliable than he found the buses in NY/NJ (who knew!?) but he definitely still wishes he had a car so... I get it!! I do love that more electric options are coming available, but it still takes so much CO2 to produce a car, electric or not, and either way I desperately wish improvements to our public transportation infrastructure were faster, especially in places with immense sprawl and dense populations like L.A. Anyway cheers to things improving!! And thank you for your comments here -- and your good footprints :) xo
If your son ever needs anything in L.A., please let me know. xo
that's so kind of you, thank you! xo
oh yeah...and great writing!
and thanks! Did you actually get the email this morning??
For me--I can't imagine it in the long run but at least we have an electric vehicle for all things errands and within 25 mile radius. (We filled up our tank 3 times in 3 years). Covid helped! my husband takes the bus to work. He has every day since he started working at NOAA in Boulder. His kids rode the bus without thinking about it. He will make his Boulder appointments only on workdays. No exceptions. Super cool! Did I mention he is a climate scientist and has been living here since the late 80's? Lots of those folks take alternative transportation.
I didn't know all of this about you! And given your husband's work, that you guys are making these choices definitely feels like some kind of climate-scientist-approved validation that one person's driving habits can make a difference. Thanks for sharing all of that!
This is quite interesting, Jennifer. I applaud you for doing it. You mentioned maybe missing listening to NPR and I have to tell you, I drive A LOT. But when I am on a several hour trip I try to make it productive because I hate "wasted time." Music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. I try to keep busy and push my growth forward while driving. Of course, these are all things I can do while using public transportation, too. So again.....I'm very impressed!
I was the same while driving -- definitely enjoyed my dedicated listening time! The one thing I haven't done yet is invest in a good set of earphones for walking/public transit. I tend to like to hear birds and other sounds of the city while walking but if I end up with more of a public transit commute I do sometimes take along my Beats :) Thank you for your comment!
This made me feel good about not having a car! Although from where I am (Philippines) being car-free is often difficult—it takes sometimes 40-50 minutes for a bus to arrive in our village, public transportation in the capital city are always overpopulated, not to mention the heat! But lately I've seen improvements. And I do enjoy commute. I witness and observe a lot of things and now other than that I have something new to keep in mind that I am actually leaving good footprints!
I love that you're able to enjoy your commute even without a car and have a new positive spin to add to it :)
There are many places even here where the bus takes an hour to arrive and/or no bus exists. So much of the US has been designed around cars, especially as you move westward across the country, and since Americans emit such high levels of CO2 per capita, I do wish we'd take more responsibility -- as a country -- for our emissions. Improving public infrastructure would have a dramatic and measurable impact across the globe (and to the heat you mention!)
YES!!!!