Conscious Commuting

On my way home from work last Tuesday, I found myself caught in what has become an all too predictable traffic stand still. A burly guy in front of me was flicking his cigarette out the window of in his oversized truck. A harried looking business woman in the mustang next to me was shouting orders on her cell phone. The couple in the huge SUV behind me were putting a DVD on for their kids. I was tuning my radio to try to figure out why I-5 northbound was a stand still at 5pm on a TUESDAY. That's when it dawned on me. It's always like that. The major traffic arteries are always jammed in Portland at 5pm on a week night. There are thousands of people that commute to and from work at the same time I do, every day.

That night I found myself wondering why I commute. I know that the emissions that my fuel efficient Toyota Corolla produces cause environmental damage. I know that the rising cost of gas wreaks havoc on our economy. I know that my high blood pressure is due in part to a stressful commute. And yet every morning I get into my car and travel from my North Portland home to my Tualatin based office. Thousands of people make the same decision every day and drive to and from work and it is hurting Oregon. We're hurting Oregon.

I assume most people choose to commute for the same reason that I do: I choose to live in close proximity to my lifestyle rather than live close to work because I would commute far more to play that I do to work. I would love to live close enough to my office to walk or ride my bike, or even take mass transit. But to do so with my current job is unreasonable. So there I sit, at 5pm every weeknight. I'm caught in traffic with seemingly half of Portland and I'm hurting Oregon. As an eco-conscious, socio-economic aware Oregonian, I hate my dilemma. But what can I do?