11 June 2008

Going Green with Style

Maybe it was the Democrats I lived with from September '06 to August '07.



It could have been the shock I experienced when I witnessed American consumption as an outsider (recent RM).



Or was it going from the fairly green state of California to the barely green state of Utah?



Whatever it was, slowly but surely I've been adding some yellow to my blue.



It started in my apartment with some of these.



My next step was doing more of this.



Then I thought why even recycle these,



when I could just use one of these?



I drive this car, which is pretty green.



But there was something more I needed to do...



Lately, this has become a big motivator for change.



I did some thinking, and found my alternative to buying gas...the bicycle!


In a world with so many bikes, however, I had to narrow the selection.



I thought,



"I don't do this (yet),



and I haven't gotten into this (yet),



and this almost feels right, but not quite what I'm looking for."



Then finally I stumbled upon the emerging world of commuter bikes, and it just seemed to fit.



With a bike in sight, I found some dealers, and even test rode a few.



I debated going here to buy one, but quickly ruled that out for its lack of practicality.



Finally I found the bike of my dreams here (in the city, not the water treatment plant).



It's been mine for two glorious days, and we've already become practically inseparable. She even sleeps next to my bed at night (I'm not leaving her in the garage to be pillaged or plundered or whatever goes on down there after dark).



Last night I dreamt about her,



and today I couldn't wait to leave here,


so that I could hit this.



For some cool statistics, visit this site.



Now, this is my next step.



I'll let you know how it goes.



Stay green!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Michael, you are funny. Tell me this. Are unused diapers recycleable? Random question I know, but I had some defective ones.

Unknown said...

You are funny. I'm proud of you...you're inspiring me to be a little more green. I really want a new bike to haul the kiddies around with instead of Joe's OLD one. Have fun with the new grocery sacks, too.

Unknown said...

One of your pictures doesn't show up on my computer...the "there's been something more I needed to do" one. What is it?

Christie said...

Your second cousin(?)/nephew(?) Chase would be so proud, as would his mentor and hero, Al Gore. Well done.

Michael said...

PS, there's no picture with "But there was something more I needed to do..."

Ryan & Whitney said...

I love the post, and good job on saving the Earth!

Becky Glover said...

You are a crack up... and the post about your mom was really cool. She is the coolest, I've always had a special place in my heart for Uncle Bob and Aunt Diane - to know them is to love them. You come from good stock, maybe someday I'll get to see you again instead of just looking at your blog.

Diane said...

OK....I guess I won't be humming the wicked witch theme to you. However, if a front basket were to be added to this bike with Toto in it, I may have to re-think my decision. I LOVE this post. You are sooooo funny! (Grandma J. would be proud that you hung out with some good ol' Democrats!)

Grandma Hand said...

You are really fun and I think I need to dust of my bike and fill the tires so I can ride to the store. You are really an inspiration to us all. I am really glad that you sleep with your bike.

Tina said...

Good for you! I wish they had bikes that could haul the whole family...like a BIKE SUV