Green to the Extreme Tip 9: get rid of your freakin' car

Local eco-blogger Vanessa Farquharson spent a year going green in radical fashion, chronicling her endeavours on her blog, Green as a Thistle, and in her upcoming book, Sleeping Naked Is Green. In the run-up to Earth Day, we've asked her to provide us with tips on how to become more environmentally friendly in the most unfriendly of ways.

Having had a taste of being a driver recently, I'm starting to get why people become addicted to the freedom of being able to go wherever the TTC won't take you, in a climate-controlled bubble, while carting groceries and an Expedit shelving unit in the back and singing along to CHUM FM — so I appreciate how difficult it must have been to say farewell to your oh-so-cute Volkswagen Bug. Why didn't you just park her in a garage until your green year was over, or vow to use her considerably less?
Wait, CHUM FM? Really? Yes, it's true — having a car is incredibly convenient at times, especially when it's the middle of winter. However, think about all the inconveniences: Finding parking in Toronto is a pain in the ass, rush hour is stressful, construction drives you crazy, you can't drink more than a beer if you drive somewhere at night, you have to remember to fill it up with gas, keep it clean, check the oil and brakes and headlights and keep tabs on other maintenance…

And then there are all the costs: parking fees, parking or speeding tickets, emissions tests, license plate renewals, insurance, gas, washer fluid and other crap at Mr. Lube. It just goes on and on. And even in the winter, you have to dig it out of the snowbanks and scrape ice off the windows, then pray to God you don't swerve on black ice and get into an accident. Either way, despite being nervous about selling my car, I really don't look back at the decision at all. Riding my bike, or just reading a book on the TTC and listening to my iPod leave me completely stress-free by the time I get to work, and if I really need to get a huge load of groceries or a shelving unit from IKEA, I just rent a Zipcar for $13 or take a cab. Best of all, I save tons of cash.

Having also been the kind of person who didn't even consider getting a driver's license until the age of 27, I'm also a firm believer in the fact that one doesn't need a car in the city — how was the readjustment to being a pedestrian? What were the biggest hurdles?
It's true, you really don't need a car in the city. I don't want to sound like I'm telling other people how to live, and I understand that it's hard to sell a car when you have a big family or you live on a farm or something, but as a single girl who lives in downtown Toronto, it's really unnecessary. So because of this, the readjustment to being a pedestrian again was quite simple, and actually freeing. Not having the responsibility of a car — not constantly fretting about where I parked or whether I'd been towed and how far I could get on a near-empty tank of gas and so on — made things a lot more simple. I also got more exercise, which meant I didn't feel obliged to go to the gym and run on a treadmill for hours, and — well, I'll stop with all the ways I love not having a car.

As for the hurdles… hmm, well, I suppose I get pretty annoyed at the fact that you can end up waiting over half an hour for the eastbound Queen or Dundas streetcar on a Friday at 6pm, and cycling in the rain or wind isn't exactly a pleasant experience. You also have less control over things if you're running late — instead of driving faster and taking shortcuts, I have to hope and pray that trains, buses and streetcars are on time, or just suck it up and hail a cab.

Since you've decided to remain car-free, how often do you find yourself needing to borrow a car, either from your parents or Zipcar?
Not that often. I just did my taxes and calculated all my Zipcar expenditures, and I think I ended up using it no more than 10 times throughout the year. Of those times, it's usually for a big grocery run during the winter; once, I booked a Zipcar to drive to Newmarket where I was buying a used bike from someone off Craigslist, and the guy was so impressed with my car-sharing he took $20 off the price. I'll borrow my parents' car if I'm going on a day trip to Collingwood or some rural Ontario festival or wine tour or whatnot.

Read more of Vanessa Farquharson's Green to the Extreme tips and other ways to make yourself more environmentally friendly at www.eyeweekly.com/greenliving.