Giving Up My Car to Make a Political Statement

In the summer of 2006, my 1996 red Volkswagen Jetta remained idle in the parking lot of my apartment building as I bagan to take the 3A Metrobus to Rosslyn Metro Station for my commute in Georgetown.

(Some people say it's impossible to get into Georgetown via public transportation; even though it is tunnel-less, it is not bus-less. The 38B and the Georgetown Metro Connection take me into and out of Georgetown in very time-friendly manners.)

And then three months later, at the gasping of friends and the wrinkled brows of family, I -- a young, 20-something professional and social butterfly -- gave away my car, and have been car-free ever since.

With the current and on-going environmental concerns, and the ever-so-daunting political arguments over the war, oil and economy, Ifelt it was my duty to contribute the only way I could. By giving up my car, I do my part of cleansing the air (among other things) and making a political statement.

Julie Weber, Arlington