by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

It all started with Big D. I saw him with his water truck, vaccum and rags in the lot behind our co-housing community. He was waxing a car and it was shining. I mean really shining. I felt a brief moment of clean car envy, but I shrugged it off and turned down the road on my bicycle, leaving our dirty little cars behind.

The next time I saw him wasn’t so simple. Big D was wiping down another car, inside and out and and it glittered - almost “happily”. My Pruis and Jerry’s Bio-bug sat nearby, dusty and dull. I took note of Big D’s system - no running hoses (his portable, non-potable water supply seemed to be used extra sparingly), no strong chemical smells, just some good old-fashioned hard work and elbow grease. I know, I’m the girl who thinks the need for clean cars is simply part of our American pathology, but this time, I just had to talk to Big D.

Donald and I had an enjoyable conversation - he smiled a lot as he explained that he wanted to make this his “retirement” job - work he enjoyed, that was much easier than the hauling and loading he had been doing for years. I watched him work on those other cars - not much of it looked easy to me - but I took his word for it. He took a look at my two cars gathering dirt and dust, gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I made an appointment for the next week.

Our cars still don’t get out much, but they look darn happy sitting in their spots with a gleam in their headlights. Big Donald explained the importance of an occasional waxing and I will admit that afterwards, my first generation Pruis looks years younger. The best part, of course, is that I’m participating in the loop of local economy and helping a hard-working person work a little less hard and enjoy a new line of work. In fact, I started daydreaming about how to make Donald the official detailer for the neighborhood…

I’m reminded that everything we do is best done on the middle path. I still don’t feel we need to wash and polish cars as often as we do, or justify using large amounts of potable water to do it. I think many of us can reach a point of driving less, car-sharing or kicking the car habit completely, and that that waterless car wash products will play a role in our future. I have managed to drive little and may even go totally car-free when possible. In the meantime, I’m glad I found Big D and I’m glad he can clean more and haul less.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

There’s a lot of us out here making some basic changes in our living and driving habits and finding out that it not only doesn’t suck, but it’s a whole new world of suprises that feel good. My friend, Jeannie (watch her weekly posts on this blog) reaping the rewards of small town life in a camper with a dog and a bicycle. Another friend, Greg, living car-free and self-employed in Asheville who contra-dances his heart out regularly in his community. Of course, there’s the abundant declarations of No Impact Man and his family, who experimented during a year of off-grid, off-stuff life in NYC and never went back to much more than a laundry machine and lights.

It was an article I saw yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle that drove this happiness message home for me. It describes a more conventional family of three, including a 12 year-old son, living small outside the city with lights but no television, a non-potable water supply for everything except drinking, a hand-crank clothes washer and only a fireplace for heating. Though one parent needs to commute to the city for work (he carpools with 2 others in a Prius), when the other was laid off, they decided that their cost-efficient lives could be supported on one income, stating, “Living simply makes it easier to weather what could otherwise be hard times.”

To sum it all up from the closing paragraph, written by journalist, Kevin Fagan:

The two say that if they suddenly became so rich that money was no object, and their impact on the environment mysteriously didn’t matter any more, they still wouldn’t change much in the way they live.

Good enough for me.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’ve had to rent a car twice in the last year and was frustrated and disappointed that I could not find hybrid rentals. Although it feels somewhat “better late than never”, it appears the car rental industry is beginning to get it’s green act together, at least in the bigger cities.

An article from the LA Times filled me in and it’s sounding good. Enterprise, National, Alamo, Avis and Budget are all stocking their fleets with hybrid vehicles, starting with the large, highly traveled cities. Simply Hybrid, based in LA, rents only hybrids and offers free delivery and pickup in some LA locations with a 3-day minimum rental. Enterprise has also started WeCar, a car-sharing service in St. Louis, MO.

Even bigger news - because it can reach travelers in all 50 states - comes from Enterprise, National and Alamo, who are offering carbon emission offsets through Terrapass. (I’ve been using TerraPass for a couple years now - here’s my previous posts about it.) The Terrapass.com offset project includes the purchase of clean energy from wind farms, farm animal waste; or capturing methane from landfills. Using one of these rental companies, you can offset your driving emissions during travel with only $1.25 per rental.

This is encouraging news in the world of driving, but keep in mind, we have to be willing to choose these alternatives being offered, whether it’s hybrid cars, organic food or low-flow toilets. In many cases, this will mean extra cost upfront. Still, I’m asking you - do it anyway - and then support a friend in the same choice. In doing so, you are supporting a larger community focused on helping each other - something proven to make us happier. Keeping perspective and looking long-term will quickly reveal what we eventually save and what we will gain. And it’s more then dollars.

(Due to living off-grid, Jeannie is posting on Monday this week - enjoy! Tao)

by Jeannie Newell, Crested Butte, CO

This is what I know this week:

Riding your bike everyday can make you feel great!  I have recently joined the ranks of the carless, and it definitely has its challenges, but is absolutely not without rewards. Living outside of Crested Butte, I ride my bike 6 miles into town most days.  I do share a car with a friend, so three days a week I have transportation.  The days that I ride in, I feel so good!  My mood is better, my outlook is better and life is grand. The first time I rode my bike home at dusk, I was leery of bear and mountain lions and all the scary things people told me I might run into.  The second time I rode my bike home late, I felt the most amazing connection to the forest where I live.  Always a chicken, sissy, afraid of everything person, I felt safer than ever.

Changing the subject briefly - I’ve met some people here who don’t work.  They are an attractive, fun, well-spoken couple who don’t have jobs (that’s right - they don’t have jobs.)  They sold their home and their cars and their ’stuff’ after 10 years of working for Intel and being professionals. Fed up with office life, they invested their money and now live on less than $20,000/yr.  They volunteer and do all sorts of creative things to make ends meet. They’ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and have biked all over the country. In a couple of weeks they are biking to a bluegrass festival that’s at least a 5 hour car ride from here. Last year they spent some time biking around France. I personally crave the structure that a job provides, but they are finding creative ways to have the life they want.

A friend of mine told me she recently read an article in a literary journal that specifically discussed Crested Butte and the reasons that people here report higher levels of happiness than many Americans do. It’s a hard town to make money in, and is expensive to live here. Lots of people work 3-4 jobs to make ends meet. It’s freezing in the winter - one of the coldest places in the lower 48.  So why so happy? The trade-off is, there is a connection to the community here.  We know each others names, we chat in the grocery store and other spots around town.  We see people we know at every gathering. People know each other and support each other. People smile. Many people create work trade opportunities for themselves and find ways to volunteer, work and be creative about living cheaply. Also, people here have a much greater connection to nature. Most camp, ski, hike, walk, kayak, and get all kinds of exercise. People are riding their bikes. I’ve been outdoors so much more since I got here. I’ve lost over 5 pounds and I’m happier and friendlier. I’m camping for the summer and I’m far from alone. Lots of locals camp out for the summer just because they like it.

Some people say that getting lots of exercise balances your Chi.  Some say it releases endorphins.  The experts say we should get in an hour every day…that it’s more effective than antidepressants and it lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and all those other benefits we know we can glean from getting outdoors and playing hard.

What I’m taking from this is that whatever happens in my life, I always want to ride my bike and talk to strangers.  And find ways to live on my terms, because other people are doing it and I know it can be done.  I’m living in a town of role models, and camping in the woods nearby…

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

We were back in VT this past weekend, making more plans regarding our eventual relocation to Brattleboro. We had to fly again, and yes, I have some eco-conflict over that, but will now stick to visiting one/time per year for an extended period, making the road trip in my Hybrid and not driving when I get there. That’s an Eco-promise.

The local food co-op, located downtown, was once again a source of nourishment during this trip, for both my body and soul. Here’s some highlights:

The first thing we came upon after arriving on Saturday, was The Plastic Monster - a mean-looking, definitely UNgreen man made of plastic bags, standing menacingly at the front door of the Co-op. It spoke a loud and clear message regarding our country’s Death By Plastic. I can imagine  that the patrons who forgot their reusable bags in the car were readily walking back to get them. I’m certain this creative plastic presence will plant more seeds in others. Nice.

A Co-op event on Saturday was Member Appreciation Day, where they served local beef and veggie burgers for a $1 suggested donation - the money collected going to stock local food shelves. Sweet.

On Sunday, we returned for lunch to find a group of enthusiastic and adrenalized women outside the storefront, who had ‘Baked for Obama’ - offering up the homemade treats to passersby, in trade for a donation towards his campaign support. They tirelessly engaged people in conversation, asking and answering questions from all. When Hillary’s name came up, one of the Obama Bakers showed me her Hillary button, now retired under a layer of clothing. Smile.

Strolling past again that afternoon, a creatively designed bicycle parked outside caught my eye. Making a trip for groceries with his small daughter, this industrious dad had left the car at home and pedaled down on this awesome kid-carrying bike/cart. He told me a friend from Oregon makes them. Cool!

In many parking lots throughout town, particularly at schools, there are “No Idling” signs which asked people to tun off their engines when stopped. Ahhhh

On Sunday afternoon, we found a swimming beach secluded along the River, just a short bike ride out of town. Although it was obvious that this is a popular Summer gathering spot, it was clean and free of trash. And the water was warmer than I expected! Double Ahhhhh.

On Sunday evening, we sat overlooking the River with our new VT friends, and enjoyed watching some young Brat Boys below. There, in long shorts and shirtless, they did what young men do…when Summer comes North…and the River runs. Sigh.

Some things just feel right. OM