It was warm. It was cold. It was warm. It was cold. It was 60+ degrees all last week. Over the weekend, we got snow. Mother Nature is really being a headtrip this Spring. Maybe she’s worried about getting another Jiff and toilet paper roll bird feeder from the kids again this year? Just in case, I thought we should switch it up with an Earth Day Challenge that would really get to the heart of eco-friendly drivers.

Quite often, here and other places, you’ll see the advice to buy an electric car and rent a hybrid for longer trips. Now that there are more hybrid rentals than ever, it made me wonder. Why not ditch your car, and ride public transportation except for special occassions? Really put your money where your mouth is, Hil. Stop saving for that Aptera and buy a bus pass.

People might balk at that at first, especially if they have anything similar to our transportation. Do you know what the city calls it’s mass transit system? D.A.R.T. Yep, that’s right, in one fell swoop they guaranteed people would associate the bus with smelly people. Woe the poor child who had to ride the “F.A.R.T.” bus. I know they were crucified at our school. The only thing worse is the line’s actual state of cleanliness, which for years was subpar.

Our new mayor is kicking ass, and cleaning up the streets, buses included, but there still isn’t a lot of information for people who want to use public transportation. Lack of knowledge is a surefire way to keep people from taking an opportunity.

Which leads us to our 2008 Eco-Friendly Driver Earth Day Challenge: Find out how to use your public transportation. Can you use money, or do you need a ticket or pass? If so, where do you get it? How much does it cost? What is the route you’d take to school, work or a regular hang-out? Our town doesn’t have this information online, but several communities do. Even Google maps has taken notice.

The ultimate goal is to actually ride public transit somewhere by the end of the month. You can do it once, or twice, or maybe you’ll find out how easy it is to make it routine. How inexpensive. How much better for the environment.

Happy Earth Day, Gaia. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you something nicer.

[Image source NASA]