Get out of the car for a day

Picture a world with clean air, even in the big cities. Envision a calm commute that involves biking, walking, sharing a ride on public transit, or staying at your home office. Imagine having extra hours in your day to be with family and friends or simply relax.

Consider how much money you'd save if you could walk to all your errands instead of forking over cash to oil companies for every little trip.

That's the ideal of a carfree world — one built around people instead of cars. Many of us don't live there yet, but some communities are trying to take back the streets.

From adding bike lanes to building homes closer to shopping areas, people are looking outside the box of the car and towards a more connected, smaller-scale style of living.

This is the goal of World Carfree Day, celebrated on September 22. With activities planned from Washington DC to London, across Canada and around Europe, where the event started.

Even if your town doesn't have a party planned, you can use the day to explore carfree options, such as:

• Find a new way to work such as public transit, or consider telecommuting.
• Walk or bike with your kids to school.
• See how many regular errands you can run on foot; Walkscore can show what's near your address.
• Get on a bike or look for a new one. Bicycling is great exercise and less expensive than driving a car.

One day without a car may be a big step for some folks. But it's a step in a clean, green direction. You'll save money on gas, reduce stress from your commute, and do the planet a favor by limiting pollution.