Blue skies, smiling at me?

We had big plans for Earth Day. Twyne was to launch co-riding in Pasadena. We found an organization eager to adopt co-riding, one that had the makings of a great community pilot. Within a few weeks, we'd be able to showcase better air quality and reduced traffic and parking congestion…all while bringing people together.

Unlike carpooling, which is just about taking cars off the road (and, let’s face it, a chore to set up and sustain), co-riding is about human connection. Twyne is on a mission to reweave the fabric of our local communities by introducing you to your physical neighbors and deeply intertwine you right where you work and live.

Of course, once connected, nudging you and your neighbors to share cars to commute would be a natural next step. And at scale, the environmental impacts would be stunning. Some Twyne members might double the utility of their vehicles, while others could get rid of their cars altogether. Twyne members would help clean up the air in urban centers all over the world and perhaps even end rush hour traffic as we know it. Delusions of grandeur, I know.

But then came COVID-19 and perhaps even I was aiming too low! With all the pain that the pandemic is temporarily leveling upon us and our economies, our planet as a whole is breathing a big sigh of relief. Every time I go outside in Los Angeles now, the sky looks bluer than ever! A few days ago we had a big downpour and the air smelled so fresh! And all because the gridlock and the smog are gone.

So I ask myself on this 50th anniversary of Earth Day, does this have to be temporary? Even if a vast number of commuters embrace co-riding after the pandemic, do we have to go back to a world where well over 100 million Americans leave their neighborhood in the morning, commute 13.6 miles to another part of town to work, and then drive 13.6 miles back in the evening? Sure it’s great sharing the commute with a friend from the neighborhood…but what if there wasn’t a commute to begin with? Could the sky stay the same as it is now? Could the air smell this fresh after everyone is vaccinated?

Let’s reevaluate how much driving is necessary. A lot of us will be forced to change jobs and even careers due to the pandemic. As we look for our next opportunity, perhaps proximity to your home community becomes a major draw. Perhaps your workplace could be within walking distance. Perhaps your dream team lives close by. Let’s not clog up earth’s lungs the moment it is safe to drive to places again.