Addition to the lexicon

Perhaps it is time to formalize the meaning of transitarian. A blog in Los Angeles devoted to the "Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle" mentioned transitarian:

A transitarian is so enamored with transit, so invested in the good that comes from leaving the car at home, that he takes light rail ... and then walks nine blocks in the rain to get to an important appointment ... . [Edited to remove local references.]

A transitarian, therefore, often resembles a drowned rat, his jacket soaked through, his slacks wet from midthigh down to his squishy-wet shoes. But inside, beneath that wet exterior, is a proud transitarian ... .

I like that abridgment of this post. But that version -- and the original post -- lack an important facet of the meaning of being a transitarian: Choice. A transitarian chooses to leave that car at home. A transitarian exchanges the convenience of a car for the knowledge that doing so will make a difference. One person here. One person there. Another person and then more.

Making the choice to take transit just one day a week for a year would prevent 55 pounds of pollution from being emitted into our air, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.

It all starts with each individual's choice to act.

"We need to be the change we wish to see in the world"

-Mahatma Gandhi