Walking Experiment

According to the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency, “A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.” That estimate is only basing off a car driving around 11,400 miles a year. Another quick statistic, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is that the average daily commute for most Americans, is about 30 miles to and from work. You can check my math if you want, but the daily commute amounts for 1/380 of what adds up to the 4.7 metric tons of CO2 that is put into the atmosphere each year. That sounds like a lot to me, but that does not even amount for all the millions of other larger cars, trucks, boats, trains, airplanes, etc. and the millions of metric tons CO2 each of those vehicles emit.

So why am I discussing these statistics and data? Well, for the past 6 weeks I have been walking everywhere I need to go, and have not used any motorized, gas-powered transportation. Specifically, this past week I noted down two very interesting things that I noticed while walking that, normally, I pay no attention to.

The biggest thing I noticed was that there were lots of roads where there were no sidewalks, or very small sidewalks. Roadways dominated streets, even on smaller roads, where there are certainly more pedestrians that are using that street. They Another physical aspect of the road that I noticed was regarding bike lanes. There were more than I expected there to be, but were still absent from many places that I would think that there should be some. These observations pointed out something critical to me about American society that I did not realize before. Consumerism is built into one of the most basic aspect of our lives as humans: walking. Cars and motorized vehicles are purchases that are so encouraged, that, by not owning one, it is almost as if you are not a part of the American culture and lifestyle. Think about how many car commercials you have seen in your life. All of them try to promote their brand and model by associating it with an ideal or attitude. Here are two commercials as examples:

In both commercials there is some value or attitude that they are appealing to, and in effect, something that the commercial is saying is not good enough. Like in the F-150 commercial, it says right up front “It ain’t a luxury, it’s a way of life.” It advertises based around the way of life that comes with having a truck, and it lists all that you could do if you had one. But in this process, it implies that by not owning a truck, it is a lesser way of life. In the Mustang commercial, it is promoting it by promoting the individual beholder. For example, in the commercial it shows how each person seeing the car saw something that complemented their taste and style.

I think that this idea of consumerism through constant advertising, specifically for vehicle, promotes a culture where, if you lack a vehicle, it is harder to be a part of that culture. That is evident in the United States, especially with the examples of fast food, “car culture,” and the physical landscape of streets and roadways.

Sources of CO2 Data:

(550)

Related posts:

Design at Business is an inter-company design community that provides a forum for design practitioners to get together and discuss the challenges they face using design in their businesses. In…