Freeze tag

If the Weather Channel were a religion, I’m pretty sure I’d be its L. Ron Hubbard. I’m absolutely addicted to it. \nThe first thing I do every morning in the fall is check it to see how ridiculously cold that day’s weather will be so that I can don the appropriate number of layers of long underwear for the rest of the day. Suffice it to say that I don’t like the cold. Around this time of year, as the frigid air settles over Indiana, I spend my days cursing meteorologists, as much as I realize the futility of punishing the messenger – in this case, one that can’t even hear my complaints anyway. \nThat’s why I am always tempted to get in my car and drive instead of walking from about October to April, and that’s also why I feel like a terrible environmentalist for half the year. No one can argue that cars do bad things to the environment. In fact, they teach us that on the first day of “Tree Hugging 101.” Even those with no scientific background are able to notice the terrible fumes that come out of these automotive beasts’ tailpipes and realize that it’s not the kind of stuff you’d want coursing through your respiratory system. \nAlthough nobody likes driving on ice, walking through a frigid, ice-covered landscape isn’t so appealing either. However, our already stressed environment suffers each time we sit down in the driver’s seat, pop a CD in and put our foot on the accelerator. But it’s tempting to stay in a nice heated car, I’ll admit. And so, to help your environmentally-conscious side win the internal struggle I know you’ll be having over whether to walk or drive, I present you with a few tips that will help make the soon-to-come treks through the snow a little more bearable:\nListen to some classic rock on your iPod during your hike. If you turn on “Freebird” or “Stairway to Heaven,” it’s pretty much guaranteed that by the time the song ends, you’ll have long since arrived at you destination.\nConsider this: If you had driven and had tried to park on campus, you would most likely have gotten a ticket – even if you were 100 percent sure you had parked legally. That’s just how we roll here at IU.\nThank your lucky stars you don’t live in Vostok, Antarctica. Although at times Bloomington may feel like it’s the coldest place in the world, in Vostok, scientists have recorded temperatures as low as -129 degrees Fahrenheit.\nFinally, realize all the environmental degradation that you’re circumventing. Every car trip you pass up will help you avoid releasing common greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide into the air. Just take that into consideration as you begrudgingly break the icicles off your nose, and know that you, even in your quasi-frozen state, have done something great for the planet. In the meantime, get yourself a good winter coat and some decent snow boots – and for the love of all that is sacred, please make sure they’re not Uggs!