Originally written: October 17, 2008

Former US President Bill Clinton was here today in my hometown of Vancouver, BC, Canada this afternoon to address an audience at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center for the Pacific Economic Forum.

While Bill Clinton stated that Canada has one of the best banking systems in the world, he certainly caught many BC residents off-guard by praising the new carbon tax. The carbon tax law has been one of the most controversial actions put forth by British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell.

Clinton explained that Campbell's effort to combat climate change is, "the greatest economic generator you could embrace."

Many British Columbians have been outraged ever since the carbon tax was put to fruition on July 1, 2008, myself included. Gas prices are just far too high, and now with a tax included it just makes driving increasingly more expensive to pursue.

That being said after much thought and deliberation, I have to agree with Bill Clinton. Even though gas prices are at an all-time high, we do have to think about our planet's well-being. The reason for the controversy in the first place is because we all failed to see the true reason behind this new law. It's either that, or we were selfish.

Being the over-the-top gas consumption users that we are, we have to make smarter decisions on how we commute for the good of our climate. Mother Nature has been dampened by Global Warming, resulting from greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by our vehicles. That in turn weakens our ozone layer and causes extreme weather conditions we are not used to. None of this spells good news.

So throw out your old habits like casual cruises and frequent road trips right now because you likely won't be able to afford it in the long run.

There are various options you can pursue upon going "green" and saving some dollars. Some of which include carpooling, transit bus, sky train, or using your bicycle.

I now carpool each morning when I go to BCIT. My friend and I just split the cost of gas and because we carpool we get to use the HOV lane, which gets us to school at a much quicker rate. That in turn lessens the rate of emissions emitted into the atmosphere.

My younger brother Derek no longer hitches rides from my dad, Kris or my mom, Cristina, nor me for that matter because he has decided to use his bicycle for his casual commuting needs from now on. So if he's going to a friend's house, he'll cycle over on his bike no problem.

During the summer, my friends and I went to UBC for a Jack Johnson concert, and instead of the usual drive down we would have done we decided to bus it. The bus trip was deemed cheaper and much more efficient in being "green," since we were a pack of seven people.

Now do you understand where Bill Clinton is coming from?

The carbon tax will have you spend more money, but not necessarily if you make smarter decisions. To some this may be a risk by going outside of their norms, but like any risk there's great reward at the end. My brother and I are experiencing that reward right now by having extra dollars in our wallets because of our new practices and you can too.