A car free life.
August 24th, 2006 by Mollie
My husband and I have a 2003 black Honda Element. We have had it for three years and have used it well. It has taken us on many road trips across the country, camping trips, and fun outtings. We have used it to help ourselves move, friends move, and family move. We have taken it on trips with the youth group. We have given rides to loved ones and strangers alike and have had the pleasure of having friends and family use it for weekends or weeks.
In less than three weeks we are moving to Seattle. We will tow our car behind us, put the seats flat, set up sheets, blankets, and pillows and sleep in it at night. It will give us a good start in Seattle. However, in a year our lease will be up and we have some decisions to make.
We both feel convicted that we need to get a more fuel effecient car (hybrid, biodesial, or subcompact car). We have a TerraPass for the Smell (Smellement…Element) and while I support TerraPass it does not give me a free ride to thoughtlessly use non-renewable resources and pollute the earth. In the past couple of weeks we have also been exploring the idea of living for at least a year without a car.
We will be living in a city with public transportation and are picking the neighborhood we want to live in carefully so that we can walk to as many places as possible. I love adventures and living without a car would be an adventure, but it also brings up fears of being trapped and not able to go places I want. We will continue to think about it and figure out what the right decision is going to be for us. When we come to our conclusion in a year I will let you know. Until then I will continue to do research on cars and on how to live life without a car.? I would also love to hear any thoughts or words of wisdom that you might have on this subject.
*For those of you who are interested, a few days after we started talking about not having a car NPR did an interview with ” Chris Balish is the author of the forthcoming book How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life“.
August 24th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
LOVELY! I think it’s a great idea what your considering. I have some friends, another couple who just moved to Seattle. They are really trying life without their car right now too. He bikes to seminary and she takes the bus to work.
Also for Seattle check out Flex Car:
http://www.flexcar.com/CarsandLocations/tabid/55/Default.aspx
August 24th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
p.s. you should do an article on humane and eco-friendly ways to kill cockroaches. We could use the help.
August 25th, 2006 at 2:38 am
Welcome to Seattle! I met you at the Blogging for Social Change group at Bogher, and I currently live south of Seattle. I love your blog, and it’s served as a spring board for me to consider many of the decisions I make concerning products and way of life. So thanks for that.
Back in The Day when I lived IN Seattle, I lived without a car for many years. I lived in Queen Anne and walked to work in Belletown, and even when I temped for a period of time I requested that all my jobs be in downtown so I could take the bus.
I only bought a car (at age 22, my first!) when I started taking classes at a school too far to commute to by bus and still make it to work on time. In retrospect, I see how that decision set in motion my addiction to relying on a vehicle and I never went back to taking the bus. Even when it was more feasible.
The bus will get you ANYWHERE in Seattle, and even anywhere in the Puget Sound. When I didn’t have a car I still went everywhere, and I found it to be adventurous. And when I needed to get out of town, I borrowed a car, or went with friends who drove, or rented. Renting is actually cheaper when you consider all you pay in insurance to NOT drive your car.
But I’m sure you know that.
Currently, though we live outside of the city, we are a one-car family. Not always convenient when we need to go separate directions, but we make it work.
Good luck to you, and if you feel like it, let me know when you’re in town!
August 25th, 2006 at 5:19 am
Ariah
Thank you for the encouragement!! I will do some research on how to take care of the cockroach situation.
Jen
Thank you for such a great and thoughtful comment. It is nice to hear you tell of your experience in Seattle. I am always soaking up as much information as I can about Seattle and also trying to figure out the feasability of not having a car. It sounds like it might work out great!!! I will definately let you know when I get in town. Less than three weeks now till we move….yikes!
February 6th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Have you ever heard of Flexcar? It is a program that is available in Seattle that allows you to live car free with the convince of access to hybrid cars when you need it. You become a member, and have the ability to reserve the car when you need it, and pay by the hour. Check it out at http://www.flexcar.com. It sounds to me like a perfect solution to your dilemma.
November 13th, 2007 at 10:46 am
[...] This past July Kendall and I got rid of our car. We had been thinking about doing it for about a year. It began around the time we decided to move to Seattle. One of the many reasons this move has been so good for us is because it has given us the opportunity to start from scratch in so many ways. We are getting to decide what we want our life to look like and make decisions based on that. [...]
December 5th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Interesting point - but sometimes looking for alternative creates more polution and/or expense than necessary.