Opinion

Alternatives in wake of VW scandal

Posted October 12, 2015 1:00 am

What do you do if you bought one of those nearly half a million diesel-powered Volkswagens and Audis that are about 40 times more polluting than the company claimed they were?

You've heard the company cheated and lied to the EPA, running the tailpipe soot pollution controls only when EPA tested them, then shutting them off. So now your car is smoking up the neighborhood whenever you drive it until VW figures out how to fix all of them.

So now what?

It's the perfect time to start thinking about alternatives to driving your own personal dragon. Take the train. Hop on the bus. Carpool.

Get that dusty bike out of the garage and give it a commuting whirl. Walk or bike for short local trips, too.

It will be healthier for you, and you'll be helping out people young and old that live with lung disease.

And next time, check out the new cool affordable electric cars with the 200-mile range per charge that are coming out next year.

Brian Urbaszewski, Director,

Environmental Health Programs

Respiratory Health Association

Chicago

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