I drive for groceries and such, but plan ahead to minimize trips. Less gas money and less time wasted on the road. Some places are better than others, but Amazon in particular likes to send packages to me via post office, so there's not really any extra fuel spent getting the packages to me versus some other delivery method.
As for high density living, there's simply no substituting actually not being around other people. Noise, trash, wildlife- it's a fundamentally different experience to be able to go out in the wilderness compared to the domesticated parks that constitute green spaces in large cities.
On top of that, I don't share walls with other people- no obnoxious noises or smells, listening to neighbors fight or their dogs bark incessantly. If I had stairwells, they wouldn't constantly smell of piss and ramen like that one apartment I lived in.
I've upgraded or otherwise modified the cabin I live in to be as off grid as possible- internet and electric hook ups are required, but if push came to shove and our electricity got cut I could survive indefinitely out here, even in the heart of winter. Heck, last year the power cut for 6 hours due to a brutal storm with -40 wind chills and I only noticed because we also lost our internet connection.
We have a mailbox. Post office sends out drivers regardless of whether or not I have a package coming, unlike (say) UPS or FedEx who make specialized trips. That was more or less my point.
That said, the post office is within biking distance during summer months if I need to send something. There's no biking or hiking anything over a mile here during the winter. Even that would be extremely unpleasant in January.
In the nearest dense city to where I live, you'll occasionally see someone biking to work during winter, but even then only on the best of days. Mail, packages, and commercial shipments all still get around by truck (the total distance driven is shorter, but more trips have to be made to accommodate the extra people).
As for high density living, there's simply no substituting actually not being around other people. Noise, trash, wildlife- it's a fundamentally different experience to be able to go out in the wilderness compared to the domesticated parks that constitute green spaces in large cities.
On top of that, I don't share walls with other people- no obnoxious noises or smells, listening to neighbors fight or their dogs bark incessantly. If I had stairwells, they wouldn't constantly smell of piss and ramen like that one apartment I lived in.
I've upgraded or otherwise modified the cabin I live in to be as off grid as possible- internet and electric hook ups are required, but if push came to shove and our electricity got cut I could survive indefinitely out here, even in the heart of winter. Heck, last year the power cut for 6 hours due to a brutal storm with -40 wind chills and I only noticed because we also lost our internet connection.