Mindful Motion

Few of us would knowingly dump sewage into a creek or toss our garbage beside the road. We accept that such behavior is bad. And yet almost all of us do something similar every day. We drive. And when we drive, we spew toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air.

We know this is bad, too. We’ve breathed the smog. We’ve heard the warnings: New Orleans submerged, Sierra snowpack gone, glaciers disappearing. But when it comes to the automobile, most of us are still in denial. “What can we do about it?” we ask. “We have to drive.”

That’s debatable, but we won’t argue it. Fact is, people are going to drive. So what to do? The answer, we believe, is what might be called mindful motion—as opposed to “loco"-motion.

Mindfulness is being aware of what we’re doing and acting accordingly. It means not living in denial.

In this special report, we introduce you to a number of local people who have chosen to get around as cleanly as they can, whether on bicycle or bus, in electric car or hybrid. We also give an update on fuel cell technology, which promises to revolutionize the auto industry. As these articles show, there’s reason for hope.