Monday, May 28, 2007

The One Tank of Gas a Month Challenge

Going green is the buzzword of the moment. Everywhere I go, and you too probably, I hear about recycling but more importantly, reducing my carbon footprint. You're probably going, yeah, yeah, been there heard that. So, I took on a challenge to use only one tank of gas during one 30-day period. So, starting April 27th, when I filled up the gas tank in the Subaru, I've only used 3/4 of the tank through today, May 28th.

How have I done it? Well, on Monday mornings, I'll drive into work with my bike. Throughout the week, I leave the car at school and then drive it home for the weekend. But, I've found that unless I'm leaving town or making a shopping run, I tend to ride public transportation here in the city. The key tool has been the ability to get NextMuni, a program that tells you how long until your bus comes, on my phone that makes taking the bus/streetcar a bearable option. The 5-Fulton and 31-Balboa are some of the buses that I've now ridden for the first time.

I'm not yet willing or can fathom the idea of getting rid of the car altogether, but I'm certainly going to try and reduce my insurance bill.