I have a Vespa since 2007 and before that I used to love them in Europe every time I was there.

This article that I found on mashable.com about Vespa and scooters this morning speaks to my heart and it also makes sense!

Need to justify that gratuitous Vespa purchase? According to research from the Environmental Protection Agency, AAA and other sources, using  scooters — even occasionally — can help reduce carbon emissions, save gasoline and increase worker productivity by stunning amounts.

Vespa is synonymous with scooters since the 40′s. Watch a video of the Vespa scooter museum in Italy

For example, if U.S. cities were made more Vespa scooter friendly, we could save almost 4 billion gallons of gas annually by 2020 — and that means decreasing our dependence on foreign oil to $21.4 billion per year. The savings would also include 77.3 billion pounds of CO2 emissions each year.

The research was compiled into a friendly graphical presentation by the folks at Vespa USA (who clearly have an interest in promoting the economic and ecological benefits of the scooter) and Mint.com, Intuit’s personal finance app for consumers.

A Vespa GTS 250ie is my only ride for the next few months

Click for full size