We all want to do our part for the environment. Even most people who oppose environmental actions don’t actually want to harm the environment; they just often view the cost as greater than the reward. It’s hard to know what to do though; it seems no matter what you do it has some effect on the environment. Even if we ignore the environmental concerns there are the economic issues. If you don’t believe in climate change or ecological destruction, you have to admit that there are limited resources. We don’t know what the next energy source is after gasoline and its byproducts. There are options to move to renewable energy sources and reduce your impact on the environment. This is true even if you live in a non urban environment like Hyannis, MA where you’re likely to have to drive more than a counterpart in the Hub.
It’s actually worth comparing the two to see the lifestyle choices you can make to improve your economic impact. For someone living in Boston, their best option is to walk or use the T as much as possible. Thankfully Boston makes this more attractive by being one of the worst places to drive in the country. It also has good public transportation and a tight cramped lay out that makes it easier to walk between various points. Walking puts you on better footing with renewable energy sources as most public transportation burns gasoline or is run off of city power. They are more efficient than everyone driving on their own at least. Walking will increase your caloric intake, but food is a renewable energy source.
For someone living in Hyannis, MA their transportation is likely very set, if you don’t live near work you can’t realistically walk to and from work every day. Biking sounds like a good option but it has problems. Distance is a problem to be conquered and there’s the issue of arriving to work sweaty. However, since you’re much more likely to own your own property you can move your home more and more off of limited energy sources and onto renewable energy sources. You can investigate and invest into geothermal heating, solar panels, and wind power. These things will vary in value depending on your situation but can improve your ecological impact.
It’s best to find ways to personally improve your effect on the environment, on its own a home owner using renewable energy in Hyannis, MA by switching to geothermal heating and putting up a few solar panels won’t change the world. But it’s a move in the right direction. If more people took that move it could have a massive effect by moving more towards renewable energy and sustainable resources.
