It's Not Easy Bein' Green

This weekend, I went a little greener...but not entirely by choice.

We own one vehicle, which is rarely inconvenient given that I rely so much on the Metra to get me to and from work during the week. However, this weekend my husband drove the kids to their grandparents' house in Pittsburgh where they will stay while we celebrate our 10-year anniversary in Italy (talk about wonderful local eating!). I stayed back to avoid missing any additional time from work.

Despite the on and off rain, I managed to run all of my errands on foot or bike. One more reason to love living in downtown Crystal Lake: everything you need is within a few miles of home.

In only 48 hours, I experienced my share of travel adventures. At one point I was riding my bike to church while toting a homemade cake in the rain. It was a much more pleasant experience than it sounds. On another bike errand, a white-tailed deer jumped out in front of me. It was a much more unpleasant experience than it sounds. It's scary enough to have a deer jump in front of your car, but in front of your bike is a different experience entirely.

The whole weekend I had to consider shopping at the closest market (which luckily for me was the farmer's market), combining errands for efficiency (like returning library books while dropping off mail), and adjusting my travel time to include my slower transportation.

I challenge you to park the car for a weekend and see how rewarding slowing down and reducing your carbon footprint can be.