Divorce your Car!

"Divorce your Car! Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile" (New Society Publishers, ISBN 0-86571-408-8), written by Katie Alvord and with a foreword by Stephanie Mills, proposes that automobiles have lost their value as a convenience and have become a hindrance, even an addiction. "Today's relationship with the automobile inflicts upon us pollution, noise, congestion, sprawl, big expenses, injury, and even death. Yet we continue to live with cars at a growing cost to ourselves and the environment." [cite web |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=yVw0z-Vm1IAC&pg=PP1&ots=mBNosqRjmi&dq=divorce+your+car&sig=YY584uLrKb5hDyU8IPPKMkP2JeQ |title=Google Books] There are several arguments for her thesis presented throughout the text as well as some suggestions for how to wean one's self from automobiles. [Alvord, part 3]

Reception

The book was well received by critics and has been hailed by environmentalists as a realistic description of the current situation in which we live. Alvord cites many sources throughout the text to back up her claims, however there have been complaints that some of them are biased, originating from sources with an apparent agenda, such as Asphalt Nation. Jay Walljasper of Utne Reader claims the book is "A clear-headed approach to reducing or even eliminating our dependence on cars, Divorce Your Car! [is] full of common sense and fresh insight." [cite web |url=http://newsociety.com/NSPblurbpopup.php?blurbindex=60/121800.html |title=newsociety.com]

About the Author

Katie Alvord, born in northern California, is a freelance writer, environmentalist, and avid bicyclist. A graduate of the University of California at Davis and with a Master's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Alvord has worked with many non-profit agencies focused on environmental issues. She has had articles printed in such publications as E Magazine, Wild Earth, and The Urban Ecologist. In 1992 she received several awards, including the Clean Air Champion award, for her self documented experience of divorcing her car while living in a rural part of Sonoma County, California. [Alvord, About the author]

Main Points

upporting Arguments

In the book, Alvord states that air pollution from cars is damaging to the health of humans directly because of contaminants in pollution and indirectly through the destruction of the environment and contribution to global warming. [Alvord, ch. 6] Oil spills, acid rain, and dirty rivers are some of the results of widespread use of cars, according to Alvord. The destruction from oil spills can wreak havoc on entire ecosystems. [Alvord, ch. 7] In addition to the cost of the car, an owner can expect to pay much more in repairs and upkeep throughout the car's life. [Alvord, ch. 9] Additionally, tens of thousands of people die every year from car crashes, and hundreds of thousands are injured. [Alvord, ch. 10]

olutions

Alvord proposes that there are benefits to walking, cycling and using mass transit beyond saving the Earth, such as exercise, money conservation, and self reliance. [Alvord, ch. 11, 12] By modifying land use, financial policies, and urban infrastructure, efficiency can be increased world wide and society can learn to function without a car in every household. [Alvord, ch. 16] With the advent of the Internet and decreasing phone prices, it is more efficient to work from home or video conference online in many circumstances, and just as effective. This not only reduces pollution but can save money for businesses. [Alvord, ch. 15]

ee also

* automobile
* global warming
* air pollution
* cycling

References

Notes

ources

Alvord, Katie (2000). "Divorce Your Car!". New Society Publishers.

External links

* [http://www.vtpi.org/divorce.htm Victoria Transport Policy Institute (review)]
* [http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3683 New Society Publishers]
* [http://www.utne.com/issues/2001_104/features/1890-1.html 7 Simple Steps to Less Driving]