Saving the Burbs for My Son

“Do you like this car?” the cab driver asked as we careened down the street. I stretched out my legs and looked around at the spacious interior, noticing the clear view of the road ahead. It was a small SUV taxi, one I’d never seen before.

“Yeah, I do,” I responded, surprised and disappointed that I could be so easily enticed into liking a gas-guzzling SUV. “What is it?”

“It’s a Ford Escape Hybrid,” he bragged. “Brand new. I drive all day and it only uses three gallons. My old car used to take ten!” He went on about the car’s smart computer, but I wasn’t listening. Three gallons! That is  incredibly efficient for an around-the-town car. “All New York City cabs should be hybrids,” I thought to myself. “Imagine how clean the air could be.” The mayor of New York has yet to make hybrids an immediate requirement for all taxis—currently, of the 13,000 taxis on the streets, only about 300 are hybrids.

I never would have had this thought a year ago. I would have just congratulated myself for doing my part to save the environment that day. But since I gave birth to my son four months ago, saving the planet has risen to the top of my list of Jack-oriented goals—just after putting money away for college—because a healthy Earth means a healthy (and happy) Jack.

But, I have a dilemma. Even though it seems to go against my idea of a healthy planet for Jack (not to mention future generations), we have decided to move to the suburbs. Our apartment has gotten too small for three. I dream of space where we could spread out, a larger bedroom for him to play in, and a yard for him to run around in. I also dream of simple grilled dinners together, uninterrupted by the wail of sirens; dark bedrooms, untainted by the midnight clunks of young neighbors; and fresh air, birdfeeders, apple picking, and star-gazing.

So I’ve started plotting a new lifestyle for myself—sustainability in the suburbs.