If you work downtown, why are you living in the burbs? Did you know, a gallon of gas equals 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. I’m lucky if I use my car once a week, just to got out west for some shopping or errands. With the big push on being greener, many cities are starting to advertise the push to live downtown.

Here’s a few excepts from a recent article on MSNBC.com:

“Getting out of your car is the greenest thing you can do,” says Carol Coletta, president of CEOs for Cities, an organization dedicated to building and sustaining American cities.

According to the EPA, a gallon of gas equals about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. This means that carbon emissions from driving are one of the biggest contributors to climate change. You can recycle, switch to energy-efficient light bulbs and fill a reusable bag at the supermarket — each a positive step — but nothing beats keeping the car at home (or refusing to buy one in the first place). And the easiest way to live without four wheels is to go urban. Cities are packed — with people, resources and opportunity. Partner this density with alternative forms of transportation — biking, walking and public transit — and a car quickly becomes obsolete.

“Real urbanism is about living close together with an emphasis on public space,” she explains. “People who live in cities are trading private space for public space, they’re trading the backyard for park space. If cities don’t make that trade a good one, they’re going to be at a disadvantage for getting people to live near each other.”

Posted under Living Downtown