As much as I viscerally agree with this, it is impractical and counter-productive in addition to being counter-intuitive.

Reason being that this kind of thing is exactly what the naysayers will latch onto in order to back up their claims that this is a movement of extremism and "doing without".

We've all seen the numbers: going CFL nation wide would save enormous amounts of electricity and make a huge C02 impact. Bolstering home insulation and sealing air leaks would save huge amounts of energy and C02. Etc...

Let's go for the low hanging fruit first. Let people keep their SUV's. Once they start realizing the positive effects of the easy stuff, they may very well take a second look at that beast. At least they may actually start to keep their tires inflated properly, the vehicle serviced properly, and drive less.

My thanks to Lloyd Alter and Treehugger for sharing my essay with Treehugger readers!

My thinking about doing the ‘hardest thing first‘ goes like this…

I can have the best intention to do a weight workout two times a week, but if I don’t block off time to do it, it doesn’t get done. I realized that my habit of going for a walk first, and then doing my weight workout after, was too often resulting in me not doing it at all! I wasn’t achieving my personal fitness goal! So now I do the weights first, and then reward myself with the walk.

Going carless is my way of doing one thing for climate change that’s a little hard, but just like the weight workout I get the reward! Going for the walk! I hope each person finds their own answer to meeting the climate change challenge.

One question I wrestle with is: If we think of global warming and doing the easy stuff first, when we will get around to doing the hard stuff? ~ Franke James

My thanks to Lloyd Alter and Treehugger for sharing my essay with Treehugger readers!

My thinking about doing the ‘hardest thing first‘ goes like this…

I can have the best intention to do a weight workout two times a week, but if I don’t block off time to do it, it doesn’t get done. I realized that my habit of going for a walk first, and then doing my weight workout after, was too often resulting in me not doing it at all! I wasn’t achieving my personal fitness goal! So now I do the weights first, and then reward myself with the walk.

Going carless is my way of doing one thing for climate change that’s a little hard, but just like the weight workout I get the reward! Going for the walk! I hope each person finds their own answer to meeting the climate change challenge.

One question I wrestle with is: If we think of global warming and doing the easy stuff first, when we will get around to doing the hard stuff? ~ Franke James

I agree. Do the hardest first. It will make the greatest impact. I gave up my car and moved to NYC so I can walk or take the train everywhere. It supprises me though, to see how many people still have cars here. People don't think about the big picture. But we are slowly taking steps..with some taking more drastic actions and some taking baby steps, we will eventually be where we want to be.

OK - I am going to hope that enough tangents I write intersect to something meaningful . . .
The core concept for all of this is in Human Nature.
I live in Brooklyn near the Verrazano Bridge and commute to midtown NYC on a bicycle in all weather and temps. 13 miles each way or 11 miles each way when I am lazy. (I like to say I give my seat to the elderly or handicapped on the subway each day!). I do the ride in 48 to 52 minutes, the $2.oo trains are 1 hour plus walk and wait. The $5.oo "express" bus is longer.
I lost 40 pounds doing this.

Just yesterday I spoke with a friend's sister who lived 5 or 6 miles from her job. I told her she could get to work in 35 minutes by bike with not too much effort. She gives me one of those looks like I am suggesting she shovel pig manure!! ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY.

I have been getting compact flourescents and replacing the old bulbs with them. I have been checking out currently available LED bulbs and messing with them.

I still have a car and use it for long trips - but I like to try to go as long as possible between when I have to use it. Sometimes I have to haul stuff (Girlfriend, Mom, or more than will fit on bike or motorcycle!).

Environmental responsibility shares the same neurological paths with fiscal responsibility and physical responsibility.
Trying to curb bad eating habits, bad spending habits, and doing things that are bad for our world have much in common.
To make someone start along a good path for each may have different triggers for different people.
Starting with the hard stuff may be perfect for some people. Taking baby steps may work right for others. It's like a diet or fitness plan ... unless you stick to it, you will really accomplish nothing.

Seeing little results definitely helps spur you along... the first 5 pounds staying off, the less debt outstanding, a few bucks here and there off the utility bills.

Good luck,
vsk

So becos this gal finally woke up she deserves a price?

Dude, I've never even used a SUV, since from day one I've considered these vehicles as a complete waste of resources.

She shouldnt have had a SUV in the first place, and going complete carless is just too extreme, and makes us all look like ecowackos that want to terminate all cars...

I did the same thing - sold my Jeep Liberty and went car-less. I live in Seattle where you can do car sharing with Flexcar. Between walking, my folding bike, scooter, and Flexcar, I'm doing great!

What frustrates me is that SUVs, luxury sedans, and 4x4s are being marketed as usual on TV ads? The only one I know is that Chevy has an E85 fuel ad, but does that mean its ok to drive a full size truck?.... its still a E85 fuel guzzler. Also, anyone have any thoughts on professional motor sports like NASCAR, Cali BAJA race, etc and their impact on the environment?

e state sales tax. This should be used for payments to umemployed workers, and incentatives to buyers of electric vehicles (not hybrids or plug ins).

There is a diminishing supply of oil accentuated by growing demand. However there is no shortage of energy (wind, solar thermal and photo-voltaic, tidal, wave etc.). We just have to go and get it. .
Just remember each time you are about to use fossil fuel, can you justify that use in the face of the looming Global Warming catastrophe.

I hate this. There's a difference between being a responsible resident and a radical because we need to feel like we're doing everything we can. This plan to give up cars would be fine, if everyone lived in a city.

I live on 30 acres of woodlot. I contribute more "green" to my environment than I consume. I carefully manage my trees, and harvest some each year, rather than use an external source of heat for my home. Most of my annual wood-pile is actually from trees that fell down during the prior winter, so I don't have to cut down living wood. My house was designed to take advantage of the sun, and we don't need to light a fire until nights in October, or November. I heat my hot water with the same wood fire that heats my home. The food I eat is from my own garden, or local farmers. The milk I drink is from local farmers. I raise bees, and provide free pollination to my local farmers, and ensure that my environment stays green. The drawback to this is that I live 20 minutes from the central hub of my area, and 45 minutes from work, by car. If they made a viable electric car, I'd drive one of those. But at the moment, I need more space than they provide. When Subaru comes out with a diesel car, I'll buy one of those, and work on running used vegetable oil through it.

But to have some idiot telling me that I should move to NYC and give up my car? Why on earth would I want to do that? I'm an active contributor to my community, through my fire department and ambulance company. If I were to move to a city, either I'd have to quit my job to work for those companies, to continue to contribute, or not participate. If I were to quit this job, I'd have to find another one, and that would be somewhere else, that I'd need to either find a carpool or ride a bike.

But if I moved from where I live now, who would take care of my trees?

--Hawk