Saving the world by saving gas

Several months ago I had a revolutionary idea. For the three and a half years or so that I had been living with my Grandma in Oakland, I had been driving - everywhere. Oakland is not a very walk able city and while certain elements of its public transportation system are excellent (I'd choose BART over driving to SF any day), for the most part, to get anywhere requires a car. However, a few months ago, I decided that I could walk from my house down to the local business district for small grocery items, saving me scores of car trips a month. Instead of getting into my car, driving a quarter of a mile to the store, tearing my hair out over where the heck I am going to park my car, I get a nice easy walk that takes me through a small park. I get a little bit of exercise, I help protect the environment, I deny funding to a corrupt and cruel oil sheik in the middle East (which is more than our president will consent to to) and, when I am walking through town, I often get a chance to stop and say hello to a friend or two, something I can't do from my car.