There is an important environmental concept and component in quality of life, largely ignored by millions of people that deals directly with rising transportation costs and the growing problem of environmental impact. That thing is where do you live?
How much fuel do you burn to get to work? During a recent family gathering, my brother said he spends over $500.00 a month on gasoline for his commute to and from work. That does not include insurance, maintenance, or the car payment. Sound familiar? Now consider just one aspect of the environmental impact. At about $3.50 a gallon, that comes to around 143 gallons of gas. At 6.25 lbs. per gallon, that is 893.75 pounds of gasoline each month, or 10,725 lbs a year. Wow, that’s over five and a quarter tons of fuel burned just to commute to work!
Fuel costs and time are major issues in our modern lives but are often not understood. To fully comprehend these two things would be a lengthy undertaking, so let us cut through the smog, expense, and boredom, freeing ourselves of the expense, environmental impact, and wasted time. It is all a matter of choice. Please allow my personal example.
After I graduated from college I moved my family to a small town in Idaho. Deciding on this location was the result of positive choice preceded by careful consideration of commute time, hours away from home, fuel costs, vehicle expenses, overall quality of life in a smaller community, etc. Does this value system of selecting where I live seem strange? Please read on.
In that small town we found a bargain lot on which to build a home only three blocks away from my employment where we built our family sized home for $32,000.00 less than the home’s appraised value upon occupancy. Today, my wife and I ride bicycles or walk to work, our cars sitting for days without being driven. Monthly gasoline bills are usually between forty and eighty dollars and our commute time can be calculated in minutes.
Now, if there is anything good about my situation, please don’t think that I am simply holding myself above you, but rather, I’m offering something for you to consider. You have a choice. In our modern society, you can usually live where you want to live. How you might ask? Is your job in the heart of a big city, so you have to commute? Okay, but you only have to commute if you choose that job. Again, allow another personal example of choice.
Until I finished college, we lived in Tucson, Arizona, the big city compared to almost any place in Idaho. I worked as an avionics technician and commuted for about an hour a day. My job was interesting, but the industry is not very stable, and I chaffed at city life. At the age of thirty two I made the choice to change careers. It was not the easy route. I attended night classes, or worked the night shift and attended day classes. Of course, this is nothing out the ordinary for those with a goal; my goal was to live in “Happy Valley” somewhere. After six years of work and school I landed a job teaching in a place that freed me from high fuel bills and a lot of wasted time.
What is my environmental impact? To begin with, my cars are small. The old mini-truck gets around 20 mpg and the Geo averages over 40 mpg. I can fill both tanks for about $77.00, which we do about once a month, adding 137.5 lbs a month, or 1650 lbs a year to the atmosphere. In contrast, my brother creates 6.5 times the pollution I do just commuting for work, which doesn’t include using his cars for other things. The environmental impact of one family is far less than that of another. Where do you weigh in?
There are huge benefits to be gained in one’s life when you can whack fuel bills and save time. If you would like to make a difference in favor of the environment and personal quality of life, take a look at your own situation and make a change. It is all a matter of choice.
E. B. Allred www.ashesofthesun.com
