How do you get to where you need to go? Do you take a bus, drive a vehicle, ride a bicycle or walk? In 2005 in the United States, almost everybody had a personal vehicle for transportation needs. People all around the world are working to break the habbit of using a motorized vehicle to get places. Scientists say that driving the vehicle has a very bad effect on the enviroment.

In Vauban, Germany people are suburban pioneers. They have forbidded street parking, driveways and home garages. Their streets are car free, with some few exceptions. They have allowed car ownership, but there are only two places to park. They have large garages at the edge of the development, where the car owner has to buy a space that costs $40,000, along with a home. As a result of these limitations, 70% of people do not own cars, and 57% sold their car to move here. Heidrun Walter, a mother of two says that "When I had a car I was always tense. I`m much happier this way." Vauban is a growing trend in Europe, that was completed in 2006. Experts say that it is a huge effort to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes. Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and up to 50 percent in some car-intensive areas in the United States.

In Paris, they have enforced a partian driving ban to clear the air of the global city. On Monday`s motorists with even numbered license plates were ordered to leave their vehicle at home or suffer a $31 fine. On Tuesdays, the odd numbered license plates would follow the same regulations. Congestion was down 60% in the capital of France, after the intensifying smog. Smog is a big problem in France, and it even rivaled China`s most polluted cities in the world. Paris typically has more smog than other European capitals.

In Bogota, Colombia there was a program that is set to spread to other countries, millions of Colombians hiked, biked, skated or took buses to work during a car free day. Businessman Carlos Arturo Plaze says that "It`s a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution." Authorities from other countries came to witness this event and were enthusiastic and believes they are generating a revolutionairy change and it is crossing borders. Parks and sport centers have bloomed throughout the city. Uneven, pitted sidewalks have been replaced by broad, smooth sidewalks and the rush-hour restrictions have dramatically cut traffic.

In America, President Obama has ambitious goals to curb the greenhouse gas emissions and has gained a fortuitous assist from an incipient shift in American behavior. America had long been one of the world`s prime car cultures, where it was the birthplace of the Model T. It seems that America`s love affair for its vehicles is cooling. The miles driven in the United States peaked in 2005 and has been on a steady decrease since then. Sociologists believe that if this pattern continues it will have beneficial implications for carbon emissions and the eviroment since transportation is the second largest source of America`s emissions, right behind the power plants. Many people are taking advantage of car pooling apps, the internet is helping keep people connected so that they don`t have to drive somewhere just to talk to someone. There has been a large drop in percentage of 16 years olds to 39 year olds getting a license. A study last year found that driving by young people has decreased 23% between 2001 and 2009. Bill Ford, executive chairman of the Ford Motor Company has laid out a business plan for a world in which personal vehicle ownership is impractical or undesirable. He proposed partnering with the telecommunications industy to create cities in which pedestrian, bicylce, private cars, commercial and public transportaion are woven into a connected network to save time, conserve power, lower emissions and improve safety.

Do you think you will still take a motorized vehicle to get to wherever you are going after reading this article? If not, you could be one of the many people that would contribute to saving the Earth and it`s precious enviroments. We are going through a revolution of enviromental friendly transportation, are you going to be apart of this?