diff --git a/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_common.cc b/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_common.cc
index 4c19d1d819..4cc8b8fcae 100644
--- a/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_common.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_common.cc
@@ -193,11 +193,11 @@ void fill_frame_data(cereal::FrameData::Builder &framed, const FrameMetadata &fr
 }
 
 kj::Array<uint8_t> get_frame_image(const CameraBuf *b) {
-  static const int x_min = getenv("XMIN") ? atoi(getenv("XMIN")) : 0;
-  static const int y_min = getenv("YMIN") ? atoi(getenv("YMIN")) : 0;
-  static const int env_xmax = getenv("XMAX") ? atoi(getenv("XMAX")) : -1;
-  static const int env_ymax = getenv("YMAX") ? atoi(getenv("YMAX")) : -1;
-  static const int scale = getenv("SCALE") ? atoi(getenv("SCALE")) : 1;
+  static const int x_min = util::getenv("XMIN", 0);
+  static const int y_min = util::getenv("YMIN", 0);
+  static const int env_xmax = util::getenv("XMAX", -1);
+  static const int env_ymax = util::getenv("YMAX", -1);
+  static const int scale = util::getenv("SCALE", 1);
 
   assert(b->cur_rgb_buf);
 
diff --git a/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_webcam.cc b/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_webcam.cc
index 377359d4de..ff63257bd3 100644
--- a/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_webcam.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/camerad/cameras/camera_webcam.cc
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 #include "selfdrive/common/util.h"
 
 // id of the video capturing device
-const int ROAD_CAMERA_ID = getenv("ROADCAM_ID") ? atoi(getenv("ROADCAM_ID")) : 1;
-const int DRIVER_CAMERA_ID = getenv("DRIVERCAM_ID") ? atoi(getenv("DRIVERCAM_ID")) : 2;
+const int ROAD_CAMERA_ID = util::getenv("ROADCAM_ID", 1);
+const int DRIVER_CAMERA_ID = util::getenv("DRIVERCAM_ID", 2);
 
 #define FRAME_WIDTH  1164
 #define FRAME_HEIGHT 874
diff --git a/selfdrive/common/params.cc b/selfdrive/common/params.cc
index dfb2b3c1bd..e5cdd1ac4b 100644
--- a/selfdrive/common/params.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/common/params.cc
@@ -33,10 +33,6 @@
 
 namespace {
 
-const std::string default_params_path = Hardware::PC() ? util::getenv_default("HOME", "/.comma/params", "/data/params")
-                                                       : "/data/params";
-const std::string persistent_params_path = Hardware::PC() ? default_params_path : "/persist/comma/params";
-
 volatile sig_atomic_t params_do_exit = 0;
 void params_sig_handler(int signal) {
   params_do_exit = 1;
@@ -231,11 +227,11 @@ std::unordered_map<std::string, uint32_t> keys = {
 
 } // namespace
 
-Params::Params(bool persistent_param) : Params(persistent_param ? persistent_params_path : default_params_path) {}
+Params::Params(bool persistent_param) : Params(persistent_param ? Path::persistent_params() : Path::params()) {}
 
 std::once_flag default_params_path_ensured;
 Params::Params(const std::string &path) : params_path(path) {
-  if (path == default_params_path) {
+  if (path == Path::params()) {
     std::call_once(default_params_path_ensured, ensure_params_path, path);
   } else {
     ensure_params_path(path);
diff --git a/selfdrive/common/util.cc b/selfdrive/common/util.cc
index aa5474ce2b..2771d76668 100644
--- a/selfdrive/common/util.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/common/util.cc
@@ -117,13 +117,19 @@ bool file_exists(const std::string& fn) {
   return f.good();
 }
 
-std::string getenv_default(const char* env_var, const char * suffix, const char* default_val) {
-  const char* env_val = getenv(env_var);
-  if (env_val != NULL) {
-    return std::string(env_val) + std::string(suffix);
-  } else {
-    return std::string(default_val);
-  }
+std::string getenv(const char* key, const char* default_val) {
+  const char* val = ::getenv(key);
+  return val ? val : default_val;
+}
+
+int getenv(const char* key, int default_val) {
+  const char* val = ::getenv(key);
+  return val ? atoi(val) : default_val;
+}
+
+float getenv(const char* key, float default_val) {
+  const char* val = ::getenv(key);
+  return val ? atof(val) : default_val;
 }
 
 std::string tohex(const uint8_t *buf, size_t buf_size) {
diff --git a/selfdrive/common/util.h b/selfdrive/common/util.h
index 03e6064471..39479bf080 100644
--- a/selfdrive/common/util.h
+++ b/selfdrive/common/util.h
@@ -53,7 +53,10 @@ std::string string_format(const std::string& format, Args... args) {
   return std::string(buf.get(), buf.get() + size - 1);
 }
 
-std::string getenv_default(const char* env_var, const char* suffix, const char* default_val);
+std::string getenv(const char* key, const char* default_val = "");
+int getenv(const char* key, int default_val);
+float getenv(const char* key, float default_val);
+
 std::string tohex(const uint8_t* buf, size_t buf_size);
 std::string hexdump(const std::string& in);
 std::string base_name(std::string const& path);
diff --git a/selfdrive/hardware/hw.h b/selfdrive/hardware/hw.h
index 8112ba1c68..b88882d708 100644
--- a/selfdrive/hardware/hw.h
+++ b/selfdrive/hardware/hw.h
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include "selfdrive/hardware/base.h"
+#include "selfdrive/common/util.h"
 
 #ifdef QCOM
 #include "selfdrive/hardware/eon/hardware.h"
@@ -16,3 +17,22 @@ public:
 };
 #define Hardware HardwarePC
 #endif
+
+namespace Path {
+inline static std::string HOME = util::getenv("HOME");
+inline std::string log_root() {
+  if (const char *env = getenv("LOG_ROOT")) {
+    return env;
+  }
+  return Hardware::PC() ? HOME + "/.comma/media/0/realdata" : "/data/media/0/realdata";
+}
+inline std::string params() {
+  return Hardware::PC() ? HOME + "/.comma/params" : "/data/params";
+}
+inline std::string persistent_params() {
+  return Hardware::PC() ? HOME + "/.comma/params" : "/persist/comma/params";
+}
+inline std::string rsa_file() {
+  return Hardware::PC() ? HOME + "/.comma/persist/comma/id_rsa" : "/persist/comma/id_rsa";
+}
+}  // namespace Path
diff --git a/selfdrive/loggerd/logger.h b/selfdrive/loggerd/logger.h
index 9d456680a7..f5db320394 100644
--- a/selfdrive/loggerd/logger.h
+++ b/selfdrive/loggerd/logger.h
@@ -15,11 +15,7 @@
 #include "selfdrive/common/swaglog.h"
 #include "selfdrive/hardware/hw.h"
 
-const std::string DEFAULT_LOG_ROOT =
-    Hardware::PC() ? util::getenv_default("HOME", "/.comma/media/0/realdata", "/data/media/0/realdata")
-                   : "/data/media/0/realdata";
-
-const std::string LOG_ROOT = util::getenv_default("LOG_ROOT", "", DEFAULT_LOG_ROOT.c_str());
+const std::string LOG_ROOT = Path::log_root();
 
 #define LOGGER_MAX_HANDLES 16
 
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/qt/api.cc b/selfdrive/ui/qt/api.cc
index 4d42ab3c54..90ba5fd539 100644
--- a/selfdrive/ui/qt/api.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/qt/api.cc
@@ -18,12 +18,8 @@
 
 namespace CommaApi {
 
-const std::string private_key_path =
-    Hardware::PC() ? util::getenv_default("HOME", "/.comma/persist/comma/id_rsa", "/persist/comma/id_rsa")
-                   : "/persist/comma/id_rsa";
-
 QByteArray rsa_sign(const QByteArray &data) {
-  auto file = QFile(private_key_path.c_str());
+  auto file = QFile(Path::rsa_file().c_str());
   if (!file.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly)) {
     qDebug() << "No RSA private key found, please run manager.py or registration.py";
     return QByteArray();
@@ -89,7 +85,7 @@ void HttpRequest::sendRequest(const QString &requestURL, const HttpRequest::Meth
   if(create_jwt) {
     token = CommaApi::create_jwt();
   } else {
-    QString token_json = QString::fromStdString(util::read_file(util::getenv_default("HOME", "/.comma/auth.json", "/.comma/auth.json")));
+    QString token_json = QString::fromStdString(util::read_file(util::getenv("HOME") + "/.comma/auth.json"));
     QJsonDocument json_d = QJsonDocument::fromJson(token_json.toUtf8());
     token = json_d["access_token"].toString();
   }
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/qt/qt_window.h b/selfdrive/ui/qt/qt_window.h
index d17b01462d..1b7ae0a618 100644
--- a/selfdrive/ui/qt/qt_window.h
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/qt/qt_window.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ const int vwp_w = (Hardware::TICI() || (getenv("WIDE_UI") != NULL)) ? 2160 : 192
 const int vwp_h = 1080;
 
 inline void setMainWindow(QWidget *w) {
-  const float scale = getenv("SCALE") != NULL ? std::stof(getenv("SCALE")) : 1.0;
+  const float scale = util::getenv("SCALE", 1.0f);
   w->setFixedSize(vwp_w*scale, vwp_h*scale);
   w->show();