“Maybe we should get the car fixed,” I mutter to my husband as icy rain pelts my face It’s a pitch-black, moonless evening. It feels more like midnight than 5:30. We’re on our way to a birthday dinner for my husband’s colleague, pedaling onto a bike bridge that crosses a busy street. Below us cars…
My family is doing an experiment in car-free living. We’re considering going car-free for the winter, mostly because our only car needs major repairs, and it’s too old and unreliable to sink much money into. We want to save money to buy a better, more efficient vehicle next year, and the best way we can…
I’ve been stirring things up on Shareable.net for the last few days talking about Alfie Kohn’s book No Contest: The Case Against Competition and some of his ideas for raising more cooperative, less competitive kids. My post begins: In 2008, an interviewer admitted to Alfie Kohn that she considers herself a competitive person. “As long…
I’m a huge fan of walking. I wrote about why I love it here. I take a walk at least once a day, rain or shine. And every time I wheel my son’s stroller out to the sidewalk in front of our house, I am grateful that we live in a walkable neighborhood. So what…
(Originally published March 1, 2010, reprinted in celebration of National Bike Month.) A couple of years ago, my husband and I were going to plant running bamboo along our back fence. Then we casually mentioned the idea to our next-door neighbor. She looked, well, terrified. Bamboo is an amazing plant. It’s used to make musical…
(Originally published September 14, 2009, reprinted in celebration of National Bike Month) The 5 U.S. cities (1,000+ population) with the least car ownership* (2000 census): Hooper Bay, Alaska (Pop. 1022) – 95.65% of households car-free. New Square Village, NY (Pop. 4707) – 73.77% of households car-free. Kaser Village, NY (Pop. 3299) – 68.57% of households car-free. Kiryas…