Gas for photography...

Okay, okay...I know this is supposed to be a photography blog. However, photographers generally travel a fair amount, and in the process consume a fair amount of gasoline and produce (too much) CO2. With that in mind, I wanted to add just a small note to my blog about the benefits of small cars.

I recently took a position working in downtown Seattle, and I have to commute about 21 miles to work every day, each way. This is the first time in my life (I'm 54) that I have had to commute more than 7 miles each way to work (and yet, I've generally lived in pretty nice surroundings :-). I should point out that it wasn't by choice that I began working 21 miles from home...my prior employer encountered a significant financial challenge, and first laid off 1/3 of the staff, followed a few months later by a lay-off of more than 60% of the staff remaining in my business unit ... as the stock dropped from around $17/share to just over $1 per share. I worked with a fantastic team that I miss immensely, but I had to stay employed, and couldn't stray from the Puget Sound area for family reasons.

Several years ago (in 2000), I purchased a 2001 (model year) Toyota Echo. My friends at work chided me a bit for not buying a BMW, but I really didn't see the point in spending 3-4 times as much for a similar sized car that got worse gas mileage (but then, I'm not exactly a car afficionado).

With the rapid escalation in oil prices in early 2008, I'm sure a few of my friends now wish they had purchased an Echo. How good is the gas mileage on a Toyota Echo? In fact, I've kept meticulous records since beginning my new job, and for the past 2600 miles, I've averaged just over 44 miles per gallon! ...and this is for the standard internal combustion engine Toyota Echo. I'm sure if I had a Prius, I'd top that, but 44 MPG for a 7 year-old 4-cylinder car isn't too bad! Yes, I drive carefully to achieve that mileage, but I'm not a "hypermiler" or doing anything crazy to achieve this...and this is the average including city and freeway driving, with a reasonable number of hills along the way.

All of which adds up to a pretty economical (and environmentally more responsible) way to haul my camera gear to the mountains. So, I'm just (no one's paying me to say this!) singing the praises of the Toyota Echo. An ugly little car that feels bigger inside than it looks from the outside. An ugly (but comfortable) totally dependable (of course...it's a Toyota!) little vehicle suitable for a photographer and his/her gear.

Needless to say, I have cut my total driving as much as I can "easily" do right now. One day in the not too distant future, I expect we will all have to begin making real adjustments to our travel to stop the global rise in CO2 that would appear to be significantly affecting our earth's climate. As photographers, I believe we need to set an example to preserve this beautiful world we all share.