Comments on: How an Atlanta Family Slashed its Carbon Footprint and Gained a Life

By: Warmonger

Warmonger — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:05:47 +0000

When I moved from Miami to Chicago in 2000 I did the math on living without a car there (since Chicago has a pretty solid transit system despite the occasional subway fire …) versus the costs of owning one here. It was pretty stunning. In that vein, for kicks and giggles I looked up some figures on the cost of gas, parking, etc. in Atlanta. By ditching one car alone the family in the story could easily save more than $6,000 a year.

There’s a substantial chunk of America that’s not going to do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do, and those folks need to see the economics. Going car-free, or at least reducing the number of the damn things in your life, puts cash in your pocket - beyond a whole bunch of other good side-effects. Also, while it tends to cost more to live in a decent neighborhood closer in to the core, think about it - using the Atlanta figures, that’s $500 a month you could put toward rent or a mortgage by going without that car. Not a bad deal. Ours is a one-car family, and I bike or walk to work. We’re richer for it in more ways than one.

Kudos to you, too, Andy, for proving it can be done here in Miami.

By: AndyTheMagnificent

AndyTheMagnificent — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:32:56 +0000

i have also slasehd my carbon footprint here ion miami by moving into donwtown dadeland. Even though its not in the heart of the city its next to mnetrorail. I harldy ever use my car and i am the happier for it.

By: ed

ed — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:57:44 +0000

Check out this US Carbon Footprint Map, an interactive United States Carbon Footprint Map, illustrating Greenest States. This site has all sorts of stats on individual State energy consumptions, demographics and State energy offices.

http://www.eredux.com/states/

By: top 20

top 20 — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:31:33 +0000

[...] to live the typical suburban life ?? the kind that helps make America the world??s top contributorhttp://www.transitmiami.com/2008/05/13/how-an-atlanta-family-slashed-its-carbon-footprint-and-gained…Travelzoo Top 20 Launches in Spain PrimeNewswire via Yahoo! Finance BARCELONA, May 12, 2008 — [...]

By: Global Warming » How an Atlanta Family Slashed its Carbon Footprint and Gained a Life

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:09:38 +0000

[...] Transit Miami wrote an interesting post today on How an Atlanta Family Slashed its Carbon Footprint and Gained a LifeHere’s a quick excerpt The following article below is a reprint from NPR.org on April 1, 2008: Atlanta Family Slashes Carbon Footprint Atlanta resident Malaika Taylor used to live the typical suburban life — the kind that helps make America the world’s top contributor to climate change. But four years ago, fed up with commuting, Taylor and her 11-year old daughter, Maya, moved from the suburbs to the city. And their “carbon footprint” shrank. “There are some weekends when I don’t even use my car,” says Taylor. [...]