Inner City Farmer

Nothing says Independence Day more than getting in the car and heading for some far off destination. To celebrate the Fourth when I was 22, I got in a car with my then girlfriend and drove ten hours just to see a show at Red Rocks (Blues Traveler and the Allman Brothers), and then we returned the very next day. When I lived in Eugene, Oregon, I drove an hour to the coast just to get drunk and watch high-school kids shoot bottle rockets at each other (and on one unfortunate occasion, me). Strange to think that such holiday road tripping is quickly becoming a luxury most of us can’t afford.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Instead of looking at the impending “energy crisis” as a bad thing, why not celebrate the benefits of the Death of the Car Culture? The mainstream media is starting to catch on. In a special report, Time magazine lists “Ten Things You Can Like About $4 Gas.” I feel like I could name twenty more.

So where am I going this weekend? I’m staying right here in Austin, enjoying my house, maybe doing a little work outside. The farthest I plan to go is Barton Springs, a world-class swimming hole less than ten minutes from my house. I could drive two hundred miles or fly half way around the world, and I wouldn’t find a better swim spot.

While everyone is bitching about their own personal “pain at the pump” (dumbest. phrase. ever.), I’m all smiles. Finally, the market price of gas is starting to reflect its environmental cost! I can’t wait for the day it hits $10 a gallon because that should force us all to make smarter choices like looking for an alternative fuel that is sustainable instead of grasping for stop-gap measures like eliminating the gas tax (dumbest. idea. ever). Our politicians remain hopelessly short-sighted so, once again, it’s up to us as consumers to make forward-thinking choices. Like using public transportation. Or riding bikes to work.

I haven’t talked much about transportation yet because, frankly, I’m still behind the times. I drive a gas-guzzling van. I don’t ride my bike enough. My only defense is that I have a three year old, and the easiest way to get him from Point A to Point B is to strap him in his car seat and hit the road. When he’s with his mom, I do much better. I will often go days without driving. I did especially well last week on my birthday when I hit the trifecta of alternative transportation: I took the bus to Wheatsville and back, I rode my bike to pick up some Thai food (and used my own canvas bag and refused their plastic utensils), and carpooled to Stubb’s to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Pretty good, but I know I can do better.

I hereby promise that I will never buy a gas-consuming vehicle again. When the van dies, I hope to go electric or, better, rely solely on buses and my bike. After all, that is one of the greatest reasons for living in a city; it’s so easy to get everywhere without using a car. I find it odd that when I visit New York City or San Francisco I almost solely use public transportation, but in Austin I rarely do. That’s going to change, and not just because gas now costs more than Makers Mark.

For those seeking an alternative to the car, I suggest checking out the Austin Yellow Bike Project, which promotes bicycling by teaching people how to fix their own bikes and offering free community bikes, and Austin Car Share, which hopes to limit the amount of cars on the road by allowing its members to borrow cars only when they need them.