Confessions of a closet environmentalist

I have a confession to make. I am a closet environmentalist.

It is true that we are careful buyers who try to reduce our consumption at the source. We recycle almost everything that can be recycled and we compost almost everything that can be composted. We give away many of the items that we do not use any more. We do not use pesticides and we limit our use of household chemicals. But there are many things that we could do differently. We run our air conditioner too much. We drive short distances too often. We live in a house that is larger than we really need. I could go on.

I have decided to make a significant change. My university fees included a bus pass. All students pay for it whether they use it or not. I have been using mine. We have an excellent bus system and my travel time is not excessive. If I drove, I could get to the university in about 25 minutes. So far, the bus ride has been about 40 minutes or a bit more. I read or study some of that time. I could not do that if I were driving.

From my perspective it is a good deal. I reduce my green house gas production, I feel good about it and I get some more study time.