In an episode of Green-campaigns during the gasoline price surge, Joe Average sought the hybrid. Later, Joe’s favorite coffee shop closed down around the corner from his bank, who was in the midst of a major collapse. He pulled his savings out and hid it underneath the mattress. He realized that it would be wise to change some things in his lifestyle so he would still be able to send his teenagers to college in a few years. He bought a coffee grinder and decided to take his old schwinn to the local bicycle repair store for a tune up.

In looking for his old bike, he creaked through the attic and realized he also had a great deal of water damage on the roof. Instead of taking off to the bicycle repair store, he made a list of things he would need to repair his roof himself. Wood glue, caulking, tar, and maybe some new shingles. With a couple hours of work, he saved hundreds of dollars! While he was up there, he found the toaster oven that he and his wife received at their wedding. Joe wondered why he never used it, and cleaned it off to make a grilled cheese sandwich. He’d been driving his car to the fast-food joint around the corner and paid $5 for the same thing (not to mention the gas!). Now, he felt misled. He stormed back to the attic, and yanked the bicycle out of its cobwebs and pinched the tires. Flat. He put the bicycle upside-down and turned the pedals with his hands. Grinding, skipping, noisy mess. He searched the cabinet underneath his kitchen sink for something to lubricate the chain with, and yet it didn’t seem to work. He painstakingly drove his bike to the gas station to use the air pump there. Prices were going down, but he’d already seen the truth behind all the other hidden costs, and he had no interest in filling up his tank. He decided this was his last goodbye with his fragile hybrid car. He parked his car in the farthest corner of his garage at home and made a new list: things to get to make his bike his main mode of transportation.