Nobody wants to give up a privilege that we, as americans, have had for decades. This privilege is vital to work, commitments, and leisure, so much so, that many of us can't imagine living without it. Driving is viewed as almost a basic human right here in America, but what we don't know, is it might someday be the bane of humans survival. Greenhouse gases are hurting our atmosphere dramatically, causing rising tempeture, melting ice caps, and more exposure to harmful Ultra Violet rays that the sun gives off. We as Americans need to lead the world as we have since the creation of this wonderful country and promote the minimizing of the use of vehicles.

Recently France's capital, Paris, has been expiriencing some of the worst air pollution in their history. In an effort to renew its air quality they banned driving for two days, for two different sets of people. As Robert Duffer said "On the first day anyone who drove an car with a liscence plate ending in an even number was not allowed to drive, and on the second anyone with a liscence plate ending in an odd number wasn't allowed to drive. The only exceptions being if you drove a hybrid or had more then three people in the car. This is a great example of an effort to take the quality of life here on earth into our own hands. We as humans are responsible for keeping the earth a safe place to live and by billowing smoke into the air through cars, powerplants and anywhere you can imagine is not doing that.

In Vauban, Germany, there sits a small town outside of Freiburg, peaceful and tranquil, just as many other small towns, but different in one huge way. The town has given up driving! The city counsel has made street parking, driveways and home garages forbidden, making owning a car, a bit difficult. 70% of all Vauban's families do not own a car and 57% gave up a car to live there. These are exceptional facts because it shows how people are attracted to a clean society. No one wants the world to change, but it will greatly if we do not change ourselves.

Overall I believe that things will get very bad quickly if we do not make great strides in creating a happier, healthier world for everyone to live in without fear of an life changing event happening. The world must reconize that the problem is our greed and we must take responsibility in changing our ways for the better if we want our children to see the same beautiful earth that we did.