Originally Posted by pedex
Having said all that, I dont hate cars or car drivers, but I do find that many of them are clueless and irresponsible with their attitude and serious lack of any consideration to their own impact on the world.
Pedex brings up a good point, coming close to my personal views. People in general just seem (to me) to be ignorant of their impact, whether it be driving, shopping at the megamart, not recycling - pick your cause. The comments here are skewed towards anti-car sentiment because you're on the Bike Forums. If you were to go over to the Recycling Forums, they would rant more about all the trash people produce and send straight to the landfill, and overpackaged products, and not composting. If you were to go over to ihategigantocorp.com, they'll be bemoaning the death of the mom and pop store, and lambasting people who support big businesses, and preaching to the choir about how low cost goods actually cost us all more. Too many people just don't think about their actions and their effects, and even if it's brought to their attention, they're too lazy/comfortable to change. People will do whatever they want to do. You will continue to drive, because that's what you want to do. You don't want to drastically change the life that you and your family are comfortable with just to avoid ever driving. That's ok - you recognize the impact your driving has, you try to limit it, and you want to counteract it by building a sustainable home. That's much further than most people are willing to go.
At the risk of being flamed, I'll also say this: I would not be at all surprised if many car-free folks on here are car-free or first became car-free either as a choice due to economic necessity, or not by their choice at all. I know I'm in that first category. After moving, I took a job that paid much less than my previous one, and my rent is quite a bit higher, since I now live alone rather than sharing a place. Currently, I really can't afford to have my vehicle inspected and licensed, much less buy gas all the time (even at today's rates, never mind $3+/gal from a few months ago). This is part, perhaps most, of the reason I picked up biking again. I'm glad it happened; I'm healthier, happier, and more aware of my part in the grand ecological scheme of things. It took being forced to step away from the car culture for me to be able to see it clearly. I don't refuse to drive or ride in a car, I still own mine and will eventually get it "legal" and probably use it occasionally. But I will do so more aware than ever before of the impact I'm having by doing so, and I will severely limit that impact.