1. Walk, Bike, Carpool... (Drive Less)
The U.S. is the leading contributor to climate disruption and our love affair with the automobile is one major cause. With less than five percent of the world's population, we consume a quarter of the world's oil and emit a quarter of the greenhouse gases -- that's more than China, Japan, and India combined! We import more than ten million barrels per day, sending hundreds of billions of dollars out of our country each year. Our car culture also perpetuates sprawl, habitat loss, economic injustice.
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If you're already experienced in the ways of alternative transportation, see if you can tally up the number of miles you log in a typical week. If not, try starting small. Choose one trip you make on a weekly basis. Then decide how to get that task done without your car - whether it be by biking, taking public transportation, hitching a ride with a friend, telecommuting, or simply eliminating an expendable trip.
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Taking alternative means of transport for a weekly 20-mile trip represents less than a 10 percent decrease in the average American's driving but can reduce your weekly carbon dioxide emissions by more than 18 pounds. Look at the table to the right to see how many resources the New Dream Community is already saving JUST WITH THIS ONE LITTLE STEP! To put this number in perspective, every 13,000 pounds is the equivalent of taking an SUV off the road.
