Is Giving Up Your Car A Reality?

With carbon emissions steadily moving upwards and with some estimates informing us that we may have to cut our carbon footprint by as much as 90 percent,removing our reliance on the automobile is a significant step in reducing our personal carbon dioxide emissions.

But is it practical?

Obviously, those who live in rural areas are much more heavily reliant on their vehicles. This doesn't apply to countryfolk so much since the largest concentrations of humans and therefore vehicles are in the cities.

Combine this with the fact that in the city it is much easier to go about your daily life without using your car. Public transport links are much more numerous and reliable and generally your services are much closer. City dwellers are the ideal candidates for making the move to a car free life.

There seems to be this general opinion that life without the car would be completely unbearable, but it is surprisingly easy to get through your day in the city without using your car. In many cases it is often much quicker to use your bicycle for example.

But how do you do your shopping? This is a question which often pops up when you consider living without your vehicle. Well, whilst it doesn't completely cut out your carbon footprint, getting your groceries delivered does reduce it.

Why? Because rather than the groceries making lots of different journeys in separate vehicles they're delivered by one man in a Van who, overall, will be making a more efficient use of the fossil fuel and therefore the overall carbon footprint is minimised.

Cycling is the obvious mass solution to transport in the city. Most of us are fit and able enough to get on our bikes and cycle to work. The big stumbling block here is that most companies are not setup for cyclists.

The simple act of installing a shower for cyclists would encourage a lot more people to get on their bikes in the morning rather than getting in the car. Not to mention the fact that cycling keeps you very fit.

In this article we have just scratched the surface in helping you to consider giving up your automobile. If you can do it you will substantially reduce your carbon dioxide emissions, make no mistake. If you truly care about our environment and the kind of world we will be passing on to our children then you will at least consider the possibility of giving up your car.

It could be a lot easier than you think!

About the author
Cass commissioned Riley to write this article to help with the promotion of her page about Eco Friendly Gifts. If you need unique content why not get in touch with Riley?