Go outside and take a deep breath, as it is right now you may feel refreshed and may even feel twinge of joy as you just took in a breath of the wonderful natural and clean air. But, as it so happens with the increase of greenhouse gases in the world, in just a few years this may not be the same situation. Instead of enjoying your breath, you may be coughing or choking on the polluted air. In the past few decades, our air pollution has gone up drastically and most of that comes from our cars. According to Source 1, written by Elisabeth Rosenthal, cars in Europe make up 12 percent of its greenhouse gases and up to 50 percent in areas in the United States! That's a whole lot! Rest assured though, there is an easy and crutial way we can begin to cut down those numbers- we must begin to limit our car usage.

Already, you may question this and begin to wonder if it is even a possible or logical request. Well, it is; in many places throughout the world, communities have begun to forget about their cars and use bikes, walking, and more public transportation options instead of their cars. It can happen, in

In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars , by Elisabeth Rosenthal, she informs us about an upscale community in Vauban, Germany where its residents have given up their reliance on cars. It's streets have no cars, except for the tram that runs to its downtown areas. While everyone is still allowed to own a car, and some do, they must park it at one of the only two areas to park- in large garages where an owner must buy a space for up to $40,000! You may think that it's crazy but in reality it is not. The structure of the city allows almost everything to be in close proximity to one another reducing the need for a car. Many citizens have reported to be feeling better and happier as they feel more carefree and have the stress that cars bring removed from their lives. This helps to reduce the emission produced by cars and Vauban is one of the most successful cities and have been an influence in many areas.

Now, if you are not up to the idea of completely giving up your car then, there are several alternatives that you can do to help and will still reduce and limit your car usage. In Source 3, by Andrew Selsky, Mr. Selsky brings to us a fairly new tradition that started about 3 years ago in Bogota, Colombia. Bogota is Colombia's capital and one of the most populated cities. Bogota has a city-wide day called, "Day Without Cars." It is simple enough, buses and taxis are only permitted while cars are banned. Millions of people walked, biked, skated, or found other ways of getting to work and frankly enjoyed it. Other citizens reported it as a fun day to take away stress while helping our endangered enviroment. This day that started only 3 days ago has now spread to other areas such as Cali and Valledupar, and Asuncion, Paraguay. Not only do these days help the enviroment but it also helps the citizens. All throughout Bogota, new parks and sports centers have been built, old and cracked sidewalks have been replaced with smooth ones, and new areas for income- such as restaurants and upscale shopes- have popped up around the city as well. The reason for the building and new employment of jobs is so that people will have reasons to walk around and allow for it to be more convient for others who work near by the areas. We also notice a similar idea arise in the lovely city of Paris, France. For those who don't know while Paris is known for it's impressive architecture and beautiful sights, it also has a bad reputation of being very polluted. This pollution comes from the amount of tourists it recieves as well as the different and populous amounts of motor transportation. In Source 2 by Robert Duffer, we see he examines several days in which the city of Paris bans driving due to the record amounts of pollution in the air. For those who were driving when they weren't supposed to be were fined and a few even had their car impounded for their reactions to the fine. Unfortunately, the government established in Paris realized that they had to do this after 5 full days of intensifying smog. At first, many were scared, confused, and even upset as to why this was happening but they began to see that it was neccessary. Once their levels of smog began to normalize, congestion is Paris was down about 60 percent! All in all, we need to begin limiting our usage of cars, from the examples provided it shows that in the end, it isn't such a bad thing after all. It increases, activities to do, work opportunities for people, and reduces air pollution. While, they were able to save Paris this time, next time they may not be so lucky. In the United States, according to Source 4 which is very reliable, we actually see a decrease in car usage overall. These rates have dropped for several reasons, and have about the same results and benefits. People have begun getting healthier, emission rates have decreased.

While the idea of limiting car usage may scare some people, it is proved to be extremely helpful. Limiting car usage helps reduce emissions, and increases job opportunities and everything.