Over the past several months, we've seen a resurgence of "green" in our community in a fight against global warming. The presidential candidates are talking about it, Mayors Crotty and Dyer signed a pledge committing resources to it, and former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize this week for sounding the alarm about it.

I've decided it's time for the Conway Blog to do its part… at least for one day.

This Thursday, I'll be boarding a LYNX bus and commuting to and from my Conway home to my job in Kissimmee. Along the way I hope to do something good for the environment, raise public awareness and just have some fun. I also hope to shed some light on the public transportation options available to Conway residents.

It's not going to be a quick bus trip, but I'm looking at one of the positives: I can sit back and read the Orlando Sentinel on my way to work… something in my 22 years of commuting in Orlando that I've never been able to do.

I know in theory that taking the bus is cheaper than my car, when I factor in the cost of gas, maintenance, insurance, depreciation and parking. The hassle of looking for a parking spot or driving in traffic is also eliminated.

But will it be convenient? We'll find out next week.

To get things started, here's a few LYNX facts:

• 93% of LYNX riders use the bus to get to work, school, shopping and entertainment
• 57% of those who ride LYNX to work could not get there otherwise
• For every $1 invested in LYNX by local governments,$2.17 is put back into the economy.
• LYNX provides more than 82,000 passenger trips each weekday spanning an area of approximately 2,500 square miles
• A solo commuter switching his or her commute to existing public transportation a single day can reduce their CO2 emissions by 20 pounds or more than 4,800 pounds in a year

I know they'll be at least some of you who will be curious about my green adventure and wonder how I fare on my journey. Don't let your hearts be troubled.

You'll have the chance to ride along with me, albeit virtually, as I live-blog the experience from the bus stops and buses along the way. I hope to share photos and maybe even some insights from other passengers who rely on the LYNX system every day.

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