A look back.

Spending a month without my car has been enlightening, exhausting, inconvenient, and in the end, essential. I experienced first hand the little (and not so little) tweaks of the lifestyle required to make carlessness work. Also, I personally realized the physical, social, and mental changes that come with getting one’s backside out from behind the wheel and one’s entire body into the community.

Most critically, I learned that one month and one person is not nearly enough.

I was a bit apprehensive when realization dawned on me that I had openly committed to giving up my car for a full month …and had no idea what to expect. A month (and many miles) later, I have concluded that the biggest adjustments required for a carless lifestyle are predictably those that involve the most important aspects of your life: family, work, and surfing.

Family must be first supportive and understanding of why you are not driving (inevitably it will create inconveniences for those closest to you) and second they must be willing to adjust to changes in daily life. In this category I have been blessed with amazingly understanding friends, family, coworkers, and most importantly an open minded and exceptionally supportive husband. The month without the civic would have been incredibly lonely without someone (namely Todd) laughing at my comical biking outfits, interested to hear about my bussing adventures, and understanding of my need to get up a bit earlier every morning (along with the desire to go to bed at 9:30).

Initially, it was hard to tell some friends that I could not come all the way to their house or to our regular haunts to get together, but soon alternative meeting places were found that required no more driving on their end, and a bus or bike ride on mine. In addition, instead of making special trips to see my parents and relatives, we were able to see each other in times and places that were incorporated with our commutes. My business partner in Rerip.com Meghan and I learned to (somewhat) effectively get things done over the phone and in neutral meeting grounds.

Work is a dynamic that was justifiably one of the most interesting and challenging parts of living without a car. Employers have arguably the largest influence on a person and what their commuting habits must be; how far they must go, at what time, and the amount of commuting required during the day. Employees have a limited number of choices that can be made in terms of the commute and environmental concerns, as those choices must be conscientiously balanced with the need to earn a living and support families.

In practical terms, the most important aspects of a workplace in regards to the biking commute involve an onsite shower and locker area (or one close by in the form of a gym), a place to park your bike, and a safe commute. For those that must get on freeways or travel through non-biker friendly areas, a bike/bus/bike commute is surprisingly easy, as all busses are equipped with bike racks.

In more theoretical terms, as a community and as those that care about the environment, we rely on our employers for more than our paycheck. We must also rely on employers and business owners to support sustainability, not merely in the products they use or their production methods (although this is important as well) but in the lifestyle they require of their employees. Imagine the impact if just a few of the largest employers in San Diego County created work-from-home options for employees just one day a week, or turned 90% of their meetings to conference calls. Can you visualize the impact on the environment if incentives (in the form of healthcare refunds) were offered for biking, bussing, or carpooling?

My carless month provided insight on impact on family and work life, and it also shed light on the adjustments required of leisure time. For many of you reading this, the main question posed is, “how will carlessness affect my ability to go surfing?” Great question. Unless a person lives in walking distance to their favorite break, this is a serious consideration for many who consider getting in the water an essential part of their lives. For those in biking distance, bike racks designed to carry boards of all sizes can be used….I just saw a great set posted on Rerip.com! For those who live further away, the options are as follows:
1) Move to the beach (settle for a smaller pad, a tent, or if need be the back of your car).
2) Work your sessions into your commute and don’t make a special trip…try to get in the water on the way to or from work.
3) Take up jogging.

All in all, I loved my month without my car. I got in better shape, saved a ton of money, and met lots of new people. I read a book with all my time on the bus, learned a lot about bikes, and probably lowered my stress level by 400%. On a more global level, I was encouraged to see that changes in lifestyle that decrease our impact as individuals are very feasible, our biggest limitations are ourselves and our fear of the discomforts and inconveniences of change.

The bottom line is that we all need to make changes and we need to make them soon. I realized that after my month, I cannot in good conscience go back to driving my car every day now that I know I don’t need it. My personal contribution to environmental sustainability will be committing to carlessness at least 4 days every week… what is yours?

Can we consolidate our errands into fewer days a week? Of course. Can choosing locally grown foods become part of our shopping routine? Definitely. Can the business owners among us commit to business practices that require less travel for employees? Probably.

Can we, collectively, commit to one less day of driving on behalf of the preservation of our environment, our communities, and our health? I certainly hope so.

Thank you for supporting the ride!