New Column: Green Living by Janet Marchant

Editor's Note:

The Alameda Daily Noose and I are very green, so we have graciously agreed to publish a special guest column on sound environmental practices for Alameda. If the author praises us enough, we may publish more of her columns in the future.

Janet Marchant
Green Living

Reduce your Automobile Carbon Footprint

You are probably paying a lot at the pump for your gas. I think my last fill-up of my H2 finally broke the $100 mark. This is just too much. How can we save the planet if we are spending so much money on gasoline?

Starting next week, I invite you to be part of a new movement. It's called Push Your Car To Work Day.

That's right - next Wednesday, rain or shine, the challenge is to not actually use any gasoline that day. So to get to work, you just push your car.

This might seem difficult, but you have to realize that most of Alameda is pretty flat. And if you need to go out on the freeway, you can take heart knowing that all of our major arteries have shoulder lanes, so you won't have to compete with those green-forsaking drivers for the same road.

Here's an added bonus: Because pushing your car is known to increase cardiovascular activity, you can skip the drive to the Gym after work! Just come directly home and you will have already gotten your exercise for the day. (But this isn't a fitness column; we digress!)

Try participating in Push Your Car To Work Day next Wednesday, and if you are like me and thousands of other Alamedans, you'll get hooked on the idea, and make it a habit - at least once a week.