Go Green by Driving Less

[Michelle Goes Green]

Did you know that 91% of all Americans drive to work alone in their car? I unfortunately am one of them. If every one of us could cut out just one of those trips per week by carpooling, taking the bus, walking, or riding a bike, carbon emissions would be reduced by almost 150 tons. That is a significant amount.

What we all need to do is find a way to cut out one car trip a week and find an alternative way to do it. This could include a trip to the store, a doctor's appointment, hair cut, etc. and get there by another means of transport. It's really not hard to do when you consider that almost 50% of the car trips we make are less than 5 miles. You can easily do that on a bike even if you're not in the best of shape. Just think, riding your bike will help you lose some weight and cut carbon emissions.

If only 1 driver in a household switched to public transportation full-time, that one person's carbon footprint would be reduced by 30%. My sister walks to work everyday saving herself money on gas and burning off calories from lunch. Walking to work is free and you get a little exercise too.

If you're interested in connecting with a carpool or maybe even starting one yourself, you can check out one of these sites: www.erideshare.com or www.carpoolworld.com.

[yellowjade]

driving less will definitely eventually save the world. there's been loads of campaigns to encourage public transport and i think the most useful kind is where they link the benefits of public transport to health. there's this funny ad in the uk where they compare the bodies of a person who drives and a person who bikes and you guessed it, the body of the person who drives is all fat and obese while the biker is well fit.

altho come to think of it, i think the ad was more to do with a bike shop than really encouraging public transport, but it still does the job! :D

[Steve_Barker]

I got the train to work from our new railway station for the first time today:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corby_railway_station

However, a weeks ticket to work costs £65, the petrol to drive costs just £30 - should not have such an economical car, then the train would not be quite so expensive :o

[Layla]

YAY for going by train, Steve!!

It's really a shame that car fuel/driving by car is cheaper here in Slovenia too!! if trains (& buses etc) were significantly cheaper, more people would gladly use them.. one can nicely nap on a train or bus, which is a good thing!

& they wonder why so many people drive & why the train company is in crisis! (a vicious circle then!)

Also, it would be great to have a law that all cargo traffic that just passes through our country must go via train - instead, we get old bad trucks crowding & polluting & destroying the highways!!

[greenbug]

Don't forget about alternative green transportation.  I finally caved in and bought one of these electric bikes. It's safe and fun. I just wish I had bought it sooner.

 

I actually bought a purple one!

Edited May 15, 2014 by Simon Leufstedt
removed link

[alfonso87]

I totally agree with Michelle on this. Just because you have the means to travel to and from work with your own vehicle doesn't mean you should. I know a guy who takes his car to work even if he lives on the same road and about 1 km away from our office. Another problem is the heavy traffic, which is caused by the number of vehicles on the road. Its sucks for folks who decide to be a bit more responsible by taking the commute or carpooling to work or school since they have to suffer through the traffic too.

[Rosyrain]

I have to drive to work each day due to the distance I travel and the fact that I often have to go to other locations when I am at work. At home though I can get away with walking more. We moved to a new home that is located near a shopping center and so now I can walk to take care of a bunch of my errands.