{"id":8075,"date":"2013-07-19T07:04:39","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T11:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/?p=8075"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:43:45","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:43:45","slug":"the-sunset-of-an-american-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/the-sunset-of-an-american-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sunset of an American Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"vintage_car\"<\/a>The car as the ultimate American icon, as represented in literature, cinema and all types of media, seems to be on its way out. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good thing, too.
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\nTransportation is one of the biggest sources of emissions in the world, and a lifestyle based on cars is not healthy for environment. And not for people either, since it leads to a sedentary lifestyle.<\/p>\n

So, it was with a smile on our green faces that we read that young Americans are replacing the car with public transport and bicycles. According to a recent New York Times article<\/a>, since 1983 the number of 18-year-olds who own a driver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s license has decreased from 80 to 61 percent. Also mileage per person is below the historic peak by almost 9 percent.<\/p>\n

The recession helps, but the exodus back to city centers, improvements in light rail connections, costs of parking space, bike sharing schemes, etc have played a role in convincing a new generation of Americans to get out of cars and into the world.<\/p>\n

This is great news because it signals a change in behavior and this is when things really take off.<\/p>\n

(Via The Daily Beast<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow @energyrefuge<\/a>
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