One of the moments that made me realize how much I like Mayor DeStefano was last spring when he traded his Lincoln Navigator for a hybrid Toyota Prius. It would have been easy for him to keep his SUV: lots of politicians drive big cars, and the Mayor liked his for its size and style. But he made the switch to set an example.

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Attaching the “1:NH” license plate that's reserved for the Mayor to a hybrid made visible Mayor DeStefano's commitment to the environment and to a wide range of renewable energy programs that are making New Haven's air safer to breathe. Even more than that, making the switch showed me that the Mayor could change, and that he had a sense of humor about himself—2 things that are probably even harder to find in a politician than a commitment to the environment.

I also liked that Mayor DeStefano didn't think setting an example was enough. New Haven started offering free parking to hybrid cars that registered with the city. Unlike the federal government, which shows no sign of regulating the destructive impact inefficient cars have on America's environment, New Haven decided to offer clear, reasonable, and just plain useful incentives to drivers who decided to do the right thing.

The Connecticut Post reported yesterday that the state legislature is considering reducing the Connecticut sales tax on more kinds of fuel-efficient cars; last spring, the General Assembly cut the sales tax on the Prius by nearly $1,500. While it is a loss in tax revenue, it seems a small price to pay for cleaner air and better health for Connecticut's residents.

Connecticut compares poorly to other states in the added cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants and the state's cities report high childhood asthma rates. It's time that Connecticut as a whole starts taking some of the same steps towards a healthier environment for all of its residents that we've already seen in New Haven under Mayor DeStefano.