Car-free, part 1
“Fuck you, Honda Civic.” This is the name of a spreadsheet that’s been sitting in my Google Drive for the past year — a record of vehicle maintenance charges and unexpected costs that have been draining my bank account.
Since purchasing it in 2016, this hybrid has annually absorbed over 17% of my income. Feeling this was absurd, a personal affront, I was astounded to discover that vehicle transportation expenditures for the average U.S. household hover around 13%.
This is stupid.
But also, a necessary evil in many cases.
Two and a half years ago, I totaled my beloved “Little Blue Prius” (torrential downpour+highway+middle of the night=grim face emoji). It was a catalyst moment. This was the first time since I got a car at 19 that I considered living without one. Now, I was living in condensed, urban Portland vs. Arizona where the suburb bubble of existence I grew up in was 45 miles from my university.
Sustainability was the focus of my school studies, and much of how I navigate the world and the choices I make are influenced by a sustainability mindset. Put simply, this means understanding that people, the planet, and the economy all deeply impact one another, and the decisions we make should be a balancing act, prioritizing the long-term health and resilience of each as they exist inter-connectedly.
I knew that, even with a hybrid, driving everywhere wasn’t great for the environment. Not to mention, I was living in one of the more bike-friendly cities in America where car and bike share options had recently hit the streets. Within my neighborhood, I began seeing competing brands like Zipcar, Getaround, ReachNow, and Car2Go. This seemed like the opportune moment to really put my sustainability values into action.
I’d been pretty miserable at my job, so in the same week as the accident, when I received an offer for a “grown-up” career opportunity with a nonprofit, I accepted. The only problem: it was 20 miles outside of Portland. The car-share opportunities weren’t feasible for such a distance. Public transportation options were laughable — three bus transfers each way for a several hour commute. Not. A. Chance.
In a flurry of quickly-made decisions, I left my old job and bought a car off Craigslist the day before my new role began. My current self looks back at this time and the term “choice architecture” flails for recognition (post on this coming soon).
It was a blissful state of gratitude and podcasts that floated me through the first year. As much as I convinced myself I could keep this attitude, something about idling in an endless row of cars ranked 12th worst in the nation made me: 1. Wish people knew how to use their goddamn signals 2. Seriously question what I was doing with my life.
In June of 2018, I left my eight-to-seven (with traffic) and jetted off to Europe. Prior to the trip, after learning there’s no such thing as putting your car insurance on hold, I quickly and unsuccessfully tried to abandon my four-wheeled ball-and-chain via the interwebs.
Saltier than the Mediterranean about the fact I was still paying car insurance on a vehicle sitting idle for three months, it was easy to envision cutting ties. In this period of gallivanting around on public transportation, falling in love with Berlin’s S-Bahn, catching buses, city bikes, and intercity trains, the idea that I could continue this way of life back home grew ever-more appealing.
But! But…there was no forgetting some of my favorite moments of solitude have been exclusive to my car, i.e., blasting Taylor Swift and pretending the doors were impenetrable to the judging ears of the outside world; many a healing sobs on freeway commutes home (fellow slaves to the asphalt could commiserate, presuming yet another missed happy-hour was the cause of tears). By far the greatest freedom I knew I would miss: PNW road trips.
There’s something about the way bulbous white clouds become glorious entities along the I-5 skyline on a rare and sunny day that you experience only in a car. One of the main attractions to paying gentrified-level rent in Portland is access to the outdoors — spontaneous summer dates floating down the Sandy River, cascading falls you can retreat to upon the overwhelm of urban existence, blurting expletives in awe each new time Mt. Hood reveals itself drawing nearer along the road going east…
Scheisse! I think I just talked myself into keeping a car after all.
As of writing this, my road trip enabler is listed for sale in a definitive move to break my auto addiction. Somewhere in the woods of Austria, in the clarity that comes only from hours alone on a mountain trail, I committed myself to follow through with this car-free decision.
While I’d like to claim it was wholly altruistic motives (like decreasing my greenhouse gas emissions) that finally led to saying Tschüss to car ownership, it was really a recognition that, in this moment, car-centric commuting is no longer sustainable for my health, my wallet, or the environment that I care to sustain.
Despite vacillations in my certainty, this transition is about to happen. It’s going to be a challenge, but one I think will be worth it. Stay tuned for Car Free, part 2 and follow along on my journey of figuring out how to stay connected to nature and dry in the rain.
Wondering how much you spend on your car? Check out the budgeting app called Mint. It’s been a game changer in helping me visually grasp where my money goes. If you’re not tracking your expenses yet, now’s the time to start adulting!
If you discover you’re spending a pretty penny on driving or you’re looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, consider switching to alternative modes of transportation. Not feasible for your current situation? Have you thought about purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Vehicle Guide:
Here’s how much you could save in 1 year if you switch from 20 Miles Per Gallon (MPG) to a more fuel-efficient car or truck:
25 MPG: $500
30 MPG: $900
35 MPG: $1,100
40 MPG: $1,300
45 MPG: $1,500
50 MPG: $1,600
If that Geico-commercial-like snippet doesn’t convince you to take some action, know that “a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year… but leaving your car at home just two days a week can reduce your emissions by over 3,000 pounds per year.”
Let’s make some more sustainable moves, friends!
