Food for thought – Carpool To Work – Once A Week

I hear people complaining that the reason they cannot carpool to work is because it’s not convenient to them. I do understand that it may not be convenient as sometimes you have to pick up your kid after a play date, sometime you have to leave office early to accomodate some other chore. My request to you is see if you can start carpooling at least once a week. I think that if we try harder we can match our calendar at least once a week with a carpool partner.

If not for the environment, then think of the other benefits you can derive from carpooling once a week. You can save some money on gas, on the wear and tear of your car, and parking if you happen to work in a crowded downtown like San Francisco or Manhattan. You can cut down on dumping miles in your car to some extent.

If you carpool to work, there are many other advantages that are less evident at first. For example, one of the greatest benefits is the time you save by using the carpool/HOV lanes. You can save time driving to work and back home, time which can be spent pursuing other activities. Spending that extra half hour, that I saved by carpooling, with my children everyday has such a special meaning to me, its just indescribable. Don’t worry, there are perks for those without kids as well! By carpooling, you’ll be honing your social skills as you can talk to the person you’re sharing a ride with. And if you’re not in the mood to socialize, on the days you’re not driving, you can read that book or knit that scarf you’ve always been meaning to but couldn’t because you never had the time.

At the end of the year, if you calculate how much you helped the environment by not pumping that extra carbon dioxide into the air just by carpooling once a week, it will boost your self-image and inspire you to do more in the future (New Year’s resolution maybe?) I know that a lot of you skeptics out there will be thinking “Oh, carpooling once a week isn’t going to save the world” but never underestimate the power of simply making an effort to change for the better. Making a decision to do something good is never a lost cause. First of all, it’s good for you. All that money and time you save is bound to be useful someday. And even if you don’t try to convince other people to start carpooling, people will be inspired to follow suit just by watching you and seeing your commitment. It may result in a chain reaction that is unstoppable.

So think about it.

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