Urban Farm Update + Happy Anniversary- three years of being car-lite

Urban Farm Update In Photos

The pullets combs are turning dark red. Eggs should be arriving soon!

Canning jars and jars of sauce this month. I'm looking forward to all of the Italian and Tex-Mex feasts this winter.

The onion harvest is going well. The onions started from seeds are much larger (could be the variety, of course, so I'll have to check this out next year and take better notes!).

In Other News...

This week I have been thinking about sustainability. We grow all of our veggies and chickens organically, we shop locally when at all possible, and we recycle like our lives depend on it. But what about transportation? Our urban farm is called "Two Wheels" because of our family's love of biking. But we also live in the USA, so it's not just a car, it's your freedom!

I've kept this post card for 3 years. I like to think it influenced me in some positive ways.

In the past I had many fantastic notions of going completely car-free. I'm concerned about global warming, the downsides of oil (both foreign and domestic), and I just hate traffic in general. So in my ideal, eco-friendly world I would bike, walk, or take public transportation for all of my errands. If necessary (for example, buying the 48-count toilet paper at Costco) I could use a cab/Uber, participate in ride-share programs, or use a car-sharing program such as Zipcar.

So we parked our two cars in the garage and went for a couple of weeks without driving. In that short amount of time we discovered that we needed at least one car. Some issues we discovered (#1 is huge):

1. Biking in winter, even in sub-zero, snowy weather, can often be very doable. However, I feel unsafe on icy, slippery roads with cars, especially when piled snow makes the roads very narrow.

A fat bike in winter helps on most snowy days, but sometimes the roads just don't feel safe to me.

2. Kids often have the option to ride the bus (this is offered in our school district and I am very thankful for it), but sometimes children have events after school or doctor's appointments during the school day that require quick transportation.

3. Because we live in a medium-sized city, some of our friends live too far away to visit by bike and public transportation is not always available. I know that I could ask my friends to come to my house or have them give me rides, but then the eco-friendly argument doesn't work.

I then ran across the idea of car-lite.

My trusty brown bike at the local co-op (1.25 miles from home).

Car-Lite: using a car only when necessary

My aha! moment: why keep an extra car around when one would do? The average American pays $452 a month on a car payment ($33,000 on a new car), and insurance in Wisconsin averages $91 a month. These costs don't include all of the gas, oil changes, tires, and repairs. So we sold one of our cars three years ago and have never looked back. People are often surprised to find out we have only one car, but we do very well and can get where we need to go. Some things I have learned:

1. Plan your week in advance and see who needs the car and run multiple car errands at once.

2. Choose doctors, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. that are bikeable or walkable. Not only does this reduce the need for a car, it supports your local community.

3. Buy a car that can do everything you need. A Jeep Wrangler is fun to drive, but if you're only going to own one car, something more practical may be in order.

4. Make being car-lite fun by challenging yourself to try out new sources of transportation. Go on a date and use only public transportation or try doing your weekly grocery run by bike.

5. Having a bike basket, cargo bike, or a trailer (even an old children's trailer) is a very handy accessory for carrying purchases or taking the blanket, picnic basket, and toys to the park.

Green Cab is my favorite local taxi because they have bike racks.