Save the earth -- live in New York

You should read the current issue of Wired for the cover story on how nothing else we are doing to help save the environment will matter if we don't do everything we can to stop global warming. But here's the shocker: Things that we used to think as harmful to the earth are now the very things we should be doing. Like cutting down forests. It sort of makes sense. Read the story here.

The thing that got my attention was the section on urban living. Apparently, "urban living is kinder to the planet, and Manhattan is perhaps the greenest place in the US. A Manhattanite's carbon footprint is 30% smaller than the average American's." That makes sense too. Sarah and I don't own a car, so our commutes don't contribute to greenhouse gases. We live in an apartment building, among "the most efficient dwellings to heat and cool." We have easy access to local produce, recycling facilities and electric buses and trains. These things are hardly within our realm of responsibility -- they're simply incidental to our geography.

Living in two states

I've lived in New Jersey longer than I have in New York, so it's not surprising that most of my friends still live across the river from me. It's a strange set-up. I live and work in New York, but on weekends, more often than not I'll be in New Jersey (church is also in Jersey). We spent this morning (Saturday) at home, but we'll be taking the train in this afternoon to hang out with friends, Susie and Dusty.

Many have said in passing that "New York has really changed" me. It must be true to some degree. Here are three things I am doing now that I wasn't doing when I lived in the Garden State:

• Listening to New York bands. One of my favorite new bands is The National, based in Brooklyn. Battles, about whom I've written before, is based in New York. Hem is from Manhattan. Still, not all New York-area bands are worth my time. I still can't listen to Interpol, and The Bravery is one annoying band.
• Shopping for clothing at Bloomingdales. This one needs some explaining. For most of my life, I had a $30 limit on single clothing items. I never bought a pair of jeans that cost more than $30, nor a shirt, nor a winter coat. But at Bloomingdales, you'd be hard-pressed to find an umbrella for less than $30. I'm not saying that there aren't good clothing deals in Manhattan, but I have begun to see the value in buying quality threads that fit me properly (you can partially blame my fashion-industry wife for this awakening). There is also the fact that I work at a Manhattan ad agency to consider. But I'm also a notoriously picky shopper -- even my wife, who buys millions of dollars of clothing for a living, loses patience with me on occasion. This means that even though my jeans budget has gone up, the number of pairs I buy has gone down.
• Being environmentally conscious. It's not that I wasn't before. I was buying compact fluorescent lamps and turning down my thermostat even before moving. But city living has taken that to the next level. Here, there are restaurants for locavores, and just by moving to the city, you are reducing your carbon footprint. The truth is, it's easier to be earth-friendly in New York. So why not be?

Free ride?

If, one day in the near future, all the subways and buses in New York City were free of charge, it will likely be because of a 93-year-old man named Ted Kheel. His proposal is simple: charge motorists between $16 and $32 in tolls for entering Manhattan's central business district. It's outrageous, but ostensibly realistic -- I'm excited at the prospect and hopeful for the future of Kheel's proposal, which is part of a study conducted by the Nuture New York's Nature Foundation. Imagine never having to worry about buying a Metrocard; you could just walk down a subway entrance and step onto a train!

Click to read:
Gothamist interviews Ted Kheel.
Kheel's proposal to eliminate subway and bus fares.
Nuture New York's Nature site.

One embarrassment at a time

Yesterday, I ran out to buy toilet paper. The Duane Reade on Broadway was closed (what with it being New Year's Day and all), so I went to the deli around the corner. I bought a four-pack of Cottonelle rolls (the one with the puppy on the wrapping, because nothing makes me think of toilet paper like a yellow labrador retriever).

Sarah and I hate plastic bags. They clog waterways, cause illness in sea turtles, and take a thousand years to degrade in landfills. So when I paid for my toilet paper, I declined the plastic bag and just picked up the rolls and walked out. And yes, it did seem sort of weird to walk down a Manhattan street carrying nothing but toilet paper. It must have seemed weird to the group of people who walked past, because some of them laughed and I know they were laughing at me because I heard one of them say something something toilet paper something.

But... my temporary -- and probably unwarranted -- embarrassment was a small price to pay. For there will now be one less sea turtle with gastrointestinal distress out there.