Multi-Mode Car Free

Zipcar_bikeI'm a Zipcar member for occasional use; it's one of the options that helps our family of four get along with a single car. Unfortunately, the closest Zipcars are 1-2 miles from my house, so I can't easily walk to get one. However, I can quickly bike to get one, which was what I did yesterday, when I needed to transport my daughter to her friend's pool (my wife had our car with her at her work).

I rode my bike to Ballston, locked my bike to the pole (see photo), picked up the Zipcar, "zipped" back home to get her, took her to her friend's, returned the car, biked home, realized I'd left my phone in the car, biked back, got the phone, biked home again. Okay, the last part was a bit of a pain, but I can only blame my own brain fart for that.

I've looked around on the web and haven't readily found other examples of how Arlington coordinates the bike parking with the carsharing. Note in the photo that I've locked my bike right to the Zipcar pole. The pole incorporates a bike rack directly into it. Now that is convenient. Good job.

Rule of Thumb #5 - Your Couch Doesn't Care

Fan2Ceiling fan tip. Ceiling fans do not cool the air. However, they do cool you. Ceiling fans work by moving air around. Humans feel more comfortable in the heat when the air is moving. You've probably noted that you can sit outside on your deck in 82-degree weather and feel terrifically comfortable, but 82 degrees inside your house is uncomfortably warm. That's because outside the air is moving, and it makes you feel cooler.

So inside your house you can feel cooler, too, by using fans to move the air. Then you can turn up the thermostat a couple of degrees and save on air conditioning. It does absolutely no good, though, to Couch_2 leave a fan on in a room where there are no people. In fact, it's counterproductive, because the fan is using electricity and providing no benefit. Your couch does not care that the fan is on, and it does not feel any cooler. It's true: I asked it.

So use your ceiling fans to keep you cooler, but turn them off when there are no people around to keep cool.
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Oh, and hey! If your ceiling fan has lights, change them out for more efficient CFLs too.