Confessions of a Modern Day Greenie

This was a piece written last summer by our Founder and President, Valerie Reddemann, for her monthly column in a local magazine. In honor of Earth Day, we thought you might find it an enjoyable read.

Wasn't it Kermit the Frog that said "It ain't easy being green"?
Well, I must admit that on occasion I concur. As a long time student of sustainable living, I've faced a challenge or two over the years that has had me wondering 'is it really worth it'?

Now, don't get me wrong.
Living a more sustainable lifestyle for the most part has been pretty darn easy - switching to biodegradable, toxin free cleaners was easy. Choosing natural personal care products - a snap. Kicking up recycling and reducing my need for stuff- relatively simple. But a recent situation proved to be the greatest challenge of all; giving up the car.

The Bad News:
This challenge was not by choice. Our mechanic called with the bad news; it was terminal. While my husband and I pondered where to lay old Betsy to rest, it also hit us that we were down to one set of wheels and we are definitely a two car family. Our offices are miles apart and schedules are hectic. Our son needs to get from point A to B (and C, D and E depending on the week). My husband has softball, I have my commitments. How were we going to make this work? We'd been getting along for the last week with one car but could we sustain it?

Aha!
Then it hit us. We could do it - at least for a while. My husband would take turns carpooling to work. On days he didn't drive, he'd ride his bike to the meeting point (6 miles each way). On the days he did drive, he'd handle dropping off our son and I'd ride my bike (its only 4 miles each way). On hectic days, well, we'd just deal with them as they happened. We felt empowered.

It started off really well.
My husband (who's in pretty good shape anyway) was enjoying the extra workout and was wondering why the carpool thing hadn't happened much earlier. How come he hadn't suggested it sooner? It seemed so obvious.

I, on the other hand, was having mixed emotions.
I'd only been without a car for a few days at a time and even then I felt almost nervous not having the freedom I knew so well. Ten years of living in Los Angeles, and a career in sales, had created a dependency on my car that I didn't realize was so serious. But, what if I needed to go to the bank or the grocery store? Oh, boy, this was going to be tough. After the panic attack and sweats subsided I scolded myself at my silliness. All I had to do was plan my day. Heck, I do that anyway - my errands with the car are organized in such a way to maximize time and fuel efficiency (hey, at $2.35 a gallon, don't laugh). So, I would simply maintain my existing schedule and get over it.

Reality Sinks In.
Day one: This is great. The weather is cool, the birds are singing and boy, am I out of shape.

Day two: Hmmm. My legs hurt - but I fight through it. I wanted to lose weight anyway and this is a great way to get my much needed exercise.

Day five: It's hot and this sucks. My husband is wrong. Riding 4 miles in 102 degree weather is NOT invigorating. I'll give him invigorating. I find myself longing for an ice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale instead of water. So much for losing weight.

Evening of day five: My husband has been playing around on the internet. He's found that to our surprise there are a few used 2004 Toyota Prius Hybrids available within a 200 mile radius. He's redeemed himself. Suddenly, this day is looking better. I grab a Sierra Nevada and jump on the phone.

20 minutes later: Sierra Nevada left to fizzle on the desk, we've piled in our wonderfully air conditioned minivan and are on our way to a dealer 2 hours away in Sacramento. It appears that used hybrids are amazingly popular. All but one has sold since they appeared on the lot earlier in the day. Our salesman "Chia" (yes, as in the somehow popular holiday gift) promises to call if the last one sells during our 2 hour drive.

15 minutes to destination: Chia calls. Oh, boy. This can't be happening. Pleeez, don't make me ride my bike again - I'll recycle more, I promise! A couple is taking a test drive and Chia senses they're interested. We step on the gas and pray that good Karma follows us.

12 minutes later: I missed the driveway into the dealer. This is getting desperate. My husband, growling, gets out half a block away and walks briskly to the showroom while I turn around. My son and I get out of the car and there before us is the car I've been longing for. It's green, or is it gray? It's 9pm and it's dark. Do I really care?

Happy Ending
Fortunately for us, the couple taking the test drive decided to wait the 8 months for a new one. After a really fun test drive, 15 minutes of intense, but moot negotiation and an hour and a half waiting for paperwork, we are the proud owners of a Toyota Prius. Wahoo! Our bleary eyed but amazingly well behaved son (who's now 3 hours past his bedtime) smiles broadly and wants to know when we can go home.

After a ten minute lesson on how to drive the thing (there is no key) we're off.
Since my husband had the brilliant idea of looking online, and since he's the one who learned how to drive it, he gets the honor of driving our new car, and sleeping son, home. I follow in the minivan listening loudly and singing proudly to 80's tunes. We pull into our driveway at 1:40 am exhausted but happy.

Moral of the Story:
Ok, so we didn't last as long as we had hoped. But we learned a few important things. 1. We don't need to drive two cars every day. 2. Riding our bikes is a great way to conserve fuel, save money and incorporate some much needed exercise into our life. 3. Even though we set our sites on something that just wasn't practical, we were able to figure out a way to satisfy our need for modern day convenience while still lightening our ecological footprint.

I've found that with a little bit of planning and a great sense of humor, just about anything can be accomplished.
So, the next time you see me on my red mountain bike riding around town please wave, but don't honk. I'm still a little skittish and might fall over. But, I'm working on it!

April 2005 update:
The Prius is great - we're averaging 46-52 mpg and even with astronomic gas prices it costs less than $20 to fill up the tank. I've also noticed that Prius owners are a bit like Saturn owners are - they acknowledge each other on the road (with a peace sign, no less) or stop in parking lots and chat about their smart purchase. My husband's office has moved much closer and while we still use two cars, riding bikes is in the mix as is strategically planning our errands and general running around. Life is good.

For more information on Hybrid cars check out www.hybridcars.com for loads of information.