Living in the suburbs usually means taking the car. Considering that the average car emits four tons of pollutants each year*, we make sure that we take public transit whenever we can.
When we are on the bus or a subway car, my two-year old likes to count the number of passenger and it always reminds me of the good that we are doing for the environment. “There are 50 people on the bus, mommy,” my toddler observes, to which I add, “that’s 50 less cars on the road.” She may not yet understand the environmental benefits that transit brings, but when she gets older and starts paying for things, she will appreciate that it costs less to take transit and that it consumes three times less energy per passenger-kilometre than the car.
So my strategy is, start them young and hopefully they will be life-long supporters of public transit.
* City of Windsor, Personal Vehicles Versus Public Transit, http://www.citywindsor.ca/001448.asp, accessed June 9, 2008.
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jen says:
7 June 2008 at 12 h 52 minhmmmm…interesting…