conservation . madness

march.madness:

we've now entered the sweet sixteen, and i'm still hanging on with 14 teams. i'm sitting in a respectable 3rd place in my office pool right now--but unfortunately, i took way too many chances in the first two rounds, so it would be a mathematical impossibility for me to win. (1st and 2nd place have the same final four and championship picks as me, so there's no way to win.) i blame wake forest, florida state, and clemson. (ooooh, i'm never picking clemson again. ouch.)

five.conservation.ideas:

energy conservation is about much more than changing a light bulb... don't get me wrong--compact fluorescent light bulbs are an excellent idea. but don't stop there. here are five transportation-related ideas for conserving energy (and saving $):

• use alternative transportation! (my personal favorite.) so obviously not everyone has access to advanced subway systems...but most cities across the country have access to public bus transportation. there are over 6,000 transit authorities in the us alone.* and using public transportation does more than reduce pollution, it can: save you money, aid in economic development for your community, reduce traffic congestion, give you more productive time (reading, working, or relaxing, instead of driving), increase your safety, and create more jobs in your community. the next time you're driving next to a bus on your way to work, think about all of the benefits of being on that bus, and see how you can fit public transportation into your life.
• don't forget about carpooling! even having just two people in a vehicle cuts pollution and consumption in half. not to mention fuel costs and vehicle maintenance & depreciation.
• thinking beyond public transportation, consider biking or walking (or running or rollerblading or skateboarding...) to get where you need to go. most of the errands we need to accomplish can be done on a bike or on foot. and it's obviously much healthier for you than the alternative. do yourself and your environment a favor.
• plan your trips to conserve miles spent on the road. if you can run two errands in one trip, you could be saving a lot on resources and preventing further pollution. wait a few days until you have more errands to run, so you can consolidate trips and spend fewer miles on the road. plan things out logistically so you minimizing driving.
• buy local! just think--buying foods and goods that are locally grown and made saves significantly on transportation costs. if the products can be delivered from a few miles down the road instead of shipped across the country or world--you're making decisions that ultimately reduce environmental costs.

* publictransportation.org