Comments on: Car-free Living in Ottawa: 6 month tally http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/ Just another WordPress.com weblog Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:02:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Living in the Environmental Fast Lane « Green Living Edinburgh http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-759 Living in the Environmental Fast Lane « Green Living Edinburgh Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:52:58 +0000 http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-759 [...] September meant it was time to bid a sad, albeit temporary, farwell to Vrtucar.  As previously blogged at Green Living Ottawa, living without a car suited our lifestyle quite nicely. Thankfully, the UK [...] [...] September meant it was time to bid a sad, albeit temporary, farwell to Vrtucar.  As previously blogged at Green Living Ottawa, living without a car suited our lifestyle quite nicely. Thankfully, the UK [...]

]]> By: greenlivingottawa http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-69 greenlivingottawa Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:37:49 +0000 http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-69 According to the fabulous web-site <a href="http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006082.html" rel="nofollow">Worldchanging</a>, half of the total energy used by a car is in its manufacture and disposal. Which means by getting rid of your car and joining a car-share program like <a href="http://www.vrtucar.com/" rel="nofollow">Vrtucar</a>, your ecological footprint is dramatically reduced even if you continue to use Vrtucar as much as you did your own car. <a href="http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006082.html" rel="nofollow">Alex Steffen reports</a> that the American equivalent of Vrtucar, <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/" rel="nofollow">Zipcar</a>, has found one of their shared-cars replaces up to 20 private cars. So each Zipcar driver uses only 5% of what a private-car owner uses in terms of the energy used to manufacture and dispose of vehicles. This means that a driver who doesn't cut back on car usage but shifts to a shared vehicle uses only 55% of the energy he or she did as a private car owner. According to the fabulous web-site Worldchanging, half of the total energy used by a car is in its manufacture and disposal. Which means by getting rid of your car and joining a car-share program like Vrtucar, your ecological footprint is dramatically reduced even if you continue to use Vrtucar as much as you did your own car. Alex Steffen reports that the American equivalent of Vrtucar, Zipcar, has found one of their shared-cars replaces up to 20 private cars. So each Zipcar driver uses only 5% of what a private-car owner uses in terms of the energy used to manufacture and dispose of vehicles. This means that a driver who doesn’t cut back on car usage but shifts to a shared vehicle uses only 55% of the energy he or she did as a private car owner.

]]> By: barbara http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-64 barbara Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:46:59 +0000 http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-64 When our car died 10 years ago my husband said lets see if we can do without it. I thought he'd last two weeks, but it was surprisingly easy. We live downtown which helps immensely. Many of our youngest child's friends had asthma and since we had already 2 children 15 years older than him who as children had had no friends with asthma,we were quite shocked to notice this change in childhood allergies and asthma. It was easy to make a commitment to staying carless because of one of his friends affliction which necessitated a puffer. We did not want to feel we were contributing to these childhood health problems. We made a commitment also to not joining any sport activities that we could not walk to, bike or bus to. This meant our children knew the neighborhood very well on their own terms by the time they were nine years old. It also meant that none of them became overweight. We found a surprising range of activities right in our own neighbourhood. There was a piano teacher around the corner, a juggler, a bicycle repair shop, a small library (and library online) a skating rink within walking distance and a pool near enough to plan a trip to. Groceries could be delivered and we got onto an organics club that also delivered a weeks supply of fruit and veggies. We would rent a car for a weekend whenever there was a need.When vrtu-car came along it was the perfect addition. There is one parked only a five minute walk away at the local groceteria. By the time vrtu-car happened we had saved enough through not owning a car that we had enough for the downpayment on a house. $5,000 per year over seven years- you do the math! It's an enormous saving even if you rent a car every other weekend. It's amazing how things would happen, or we'd learn something that would enable us to stay carless a bit longer. We live our lives differently now and save up errands to be done all at once. We have friends who leave their car with us when they are out of town. There is more interdependence between ourselves, friends and neighbours, and we have met others in our part of town who are also committed to being carless. Living "downwardly mobile" feels solid. We do not feel that we are constantly chasing our tails, -and looking for parking. Big box malls are out of the question and our lives have been saved from the suburban malaise and of having to get in the car to get somewhere, even for a loaf of bread. Our children are street savvy, know where they are going and how to get there on their own steam. The city is theirs and they feel a measure of independence from us that is fantastic. When our car died 10 years ago my husband said lets see if we can do without it. I thought he’d last two weeks, but it was surprisingly easy. We live downtown which helps immensely. Many of our youngest child’s friends had asthma and since we had already 2 children 15 years older than him who as children had had no friends with asthma,we were quite shocked to notice this change in childhood allergies and asthma. It was easy to make a commitment to staying carless because of one of his friends affliction which necessitated a puffer. We did not want to feel we were contributing to these childhood health problems. We made a commitment also to not joining any sport activities that we could not walk to, bike or bus to. This meant our children knew the neighborhood very well on their own terms by the time they were nine years old. It also meant that none of them became overweight. We found a surprising range of activities right in our own neighbourhood. There was a piano teacher around the corner, a juggler, a bicycle repair shop, a small library (and library online) a skating rink within walking distance and a pool near enough to plan a trip to. Groceries could be delivered and we got onto an organics club that also delivered a weeks supply of fruit and veggies. We would rent a car for a weekend whenever there was a need.When vrtu-car came along it was the perfect addition. There is one parked only a five minute walk away at the local groceteria. By the time vrtu-car happened we had saved enough through not owning a car that we had enough for the downpayment on a house. $5,000 per year over seven years- you do the math! It’s an enormous saving even if you rent a car every other weekend. It’s amazing how things would happen, or we’d learn something that would enable us to stay carless a bit longer.
We live our lives differently now and save up errands to be done all at once. We have friends who leave their car with us when they are out of town. There is more interdependence between ourselves, friends and neighbours, and we have met others in our part of town who are also committed to being carless. Living “downwardly mobile” feels solid. We do not feel that we are constantly chasing our tails, -and looking for parking. Big box malls are out of the question and our lives have been saved from the suburban malaise and of having to get in the car to get somewhere, even for a loaf of bread. Our children are street savvy, know where they are going and how to get there on their own steam. The city is theirs and they feel a measure of independence from us that is fantastic.

]]> By: Malva http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-57 Malva Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:36:03 +0000 http://greenlivingottawa.com/2007/07/02/car-free-living-in-ottawa-6-month-tally/#comment-57 I just found your blog when searching for the toothpaste made in Hawkesbury. I am very excited! I had to read all your archives and several things you blogged about took me a lot of detective work to find on my own. Now it's all in one place. On the topic of your post: We became car-free last year when I returned to work after my last mat leave. For us, freeing that money allowed my husband to stay home with our kids. We haven't suffered one bit either. Being car-free with children is very possible in Ottawa. I just found your blog when searching for the toothpaste made in Hawkesbury.

I am very excited! I had to read all your archives and several things you blogged about took me a lot of detective work to find on my own. Now it’s all in one place.

On the topic of your post: We became car-free last year when I returned to work after my last mat leave. For us, freeing that money allowed my husband to stay home with our kids. We haven’t suffered one bit either. Being car-free with children is very possible in Ottawa.

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