Go Green: Use Bicycles & Public Transportation

One of the best ways to go green is to change your modes of transportation. Driving a car creates pollution, supports the toxic petroleum industry, congests roads, and all in all adds to the environmental problems of the world.

Here are some of the many benefits of going green with your transportation, along with a few tips for making the transition:

1. Decreased Congestion Means Less Gas

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The more cars we take off the road, the less congested the roads will be. The less congested the roads are, the less gas each individual car will consume.

Not only are you lowering your gas consumption by not driving a car, you're also making other cars on the road more fuel efficient by not driving.

2. Voting with Your Wallet

It's one thing to say you support environmentalism. It's another thing to vote with your wallet.

When you stop spending money on gas-guzzling vehicles, you take your vote out of the automobile industry. You're also increasing the amount of money public transit is earning, which in time translates to better, more fuel efficient public transportation systems.

3. Get Exercise without Trying

A lot of people have a hard time regularly scheduling exercise into their daily routines.

Getting in the habit of riding a bicycle or walking to take public transportation makes it easy to get your exercise in every day. You're either walking more or cycling or both.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Save a Lot of Money

Driving a car costs a lot of money. You have your gas costs, which can add up to hundreds of dollars a month. In addition you have automotive repair and maintenance, which can also add up to a lot of money every year.

That's not even taking into account the actual cost of the car. Generally you're spending several hundred dollars a month on a car loan or lease. If you're buying a car outright, you're often tying up tens of thousands of dollars of your net worth.

All in all, not owning a car can save you buckets of money.

Tips for Making the Transition

The most important thing for making the transition smoothly is to plan how you need to get to the various places in your daily life before you make the switch.

If you already know how to get everywhere you want to get and how long it'll take, that'll take a lot of the difficulty out of the picture.

Learn to use Google Maps or a smartphone app to check bus routes and public transportation routes for areas that you're not familiar with traveling to.

For the first couple weeks, leave a little earlier than you think you need to so you can get used to the system while still being on time.

Going green with your transportation allows you to save money, reduce the world's pollution, help improve public transportation and even get some exercise - it's a win-win for everyone!

3 Carpooling Tips to Save Fuel

The concept of carpooling has been around since World War II. However, formal car-pooling structures, including HOV lanes and public transportation, have been around for about forty years.  Whenever our country begins to recognize a shortage of resources, we begin taking active measures.  Here are a few tips to save fuel by carpooling:

Swap Riding Poster from the 1940's. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#1. Find other carpoolers.  This may seem initially like the hardest part of your initiative.  However, there are many ways to find people just like you to pool with.  First, check with your company human resources department.  They may have a list of carpoolers on hand – people you can ride with.  Secondly, check online.  There are carpool connection sites you can register with to find the right group of people for you.

#2.  Get organized. Once you have a group of people interested in carpooling, it’s time to organize your carpool. Here’s what you need to figure out:

* How often everyone would like to carpool?  Sometimes there are days which carpooling doesn’t work for you and/or your other carpoolers.  Create a schedule.

* Who wants to drive, and how often? 

* Where and when is everyone going to meet and get dropped off? 

* What is the start date? 

* Exchange cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses so you can communicate with them if there’s a change in your schedule. You’ll lose carpool friends fast if you leave them waiting for you.

* Make sure drivers have valid licenses and auto insurance – important!

* How much does everyone contribute to the carpooling program?  Gas and tolls cost money and it is everyone’s responsibility to contribute.  Additionally, if you’re consistently taking one person’s car then contribution to oil changes and upkeep isn’t out of the question.

Car pool lanes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#3.  Establish policies.  Create a system of notification if someone is off schedule, has an emergency and so on.  Additionally, you may want to set ground rules for etiquette.  While you may think some things are obvious, others may not, so it’s best to be clear and upfront.  For example, what are appropriate speed limit rules?  What about smoking, eating/drinking, or texting and chatting on the phone while driving? 

Additionally, what do you do if you want/need to kick someone out of the group?  Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.  As a group, it may be good to decide how to give someone who doesn’t follow the rules the heave ho.

Carpooling is an exceptional way to save on fuel.  Instead of five cars on the road driving to and from work, you have one car on the road and you also save one fifth of the expense.  In addition to saving money and natural resources, you may also find you make some lifelong friends, or at least have some interesting experiences!

14 Sustainable Summer Travel Tips

Summer is the time for vacation travel, as families head for the coast, the mountains, or the beach for summer vacation. But for eco-conscious folks, travel can pose a dilemma. What about all those emissions? Does traveling mean you're destroying the environment? You'll be happy to know that the depleted ozone layer doesn't mean you have to stop traveling. You can still see the world without killing the planet.

Here are 14 green travel tips which will make your next trip more enjoyable - and guilt-free!

 (Photo credit: raffacama)

1. If at all possible, avoid flying. Flying is very carbon-intensive and bad for the environment. Taking a bus or train is not only cheaper, but also better for the environment. Plus, you really get to see aspects of the country you haven't seen before. It can be a fun adventure, even if it takes longer to get there. Family road trips can be fun - just make sure you leave plenty of time to stop and see the sights on the way, so you don't feel rushed to get to your destination.

2. If flying is unavoidable, then try to find non-stop flights. That will of course not only reduce your travel time, but also your carbon footprint.

3. Paper tickets are becoming a thing of the past. Use electronic tickets whenever and wherever possible and save a tree.

4. Pack light. The more weighted down your mode of transportation is, the more fuel it will use. So if you pack light, you'll keep more carbon from getting into the environment and it's also a time saver. Time spent packing and unpacking bags or waiting at baggage claim to receive your bags will be shorter if you have fewer bags.

5. Use a reusable water bottle. (Glass or stainless steel are good - be sure to avoid plastics containing BPA.)

6. Don't forget about what you can do in your own home while you're gone. There's no need to have the heating and cooling systems running as usual if you're not home. So reset the thermostat. Stop your newspaper delivery as well; not only is it better for the environment, but you won't have newspapers piling up in front of your home letting people know you're away. Unplug the TV, DVD player, coffee pot, toaster, microwave, washer, and dryer. These all will continue to pull electricity while plugged in even if they're not being used.

Country Lodge Hotel, Nairobi is Eco-Friendly (Photo credit: Wayan Vota)

7. Stay in hotels with environmental certification like Green Seal, Green Leaf, or the Green Hotels Association - these make an effort to use ecologically friendly practices.

8. When you leave the hotel room, turn off the lights or turn down the air conditioning.

9. Reuse your towels and sheets during your stay. Just let the hotel staff that they don't need to give you fresh linens every day.

10. Leave the complimentary toiletries for the next guest unless you're absolutely sure you'll use them. The less waste, the greener you'll be.

11. Check out electronically if the hotel will allow it. Less paper is better.

12. Rely on public transportation or the hotel's van service to get where you need to go. Walking or renting a bike to get around also might be an enjoyable way to explore this new place.

13. If you can't get by with public transportation and walking everywhere, then rent a hybrid or fuel efficient vehicle.

14. Buy local goods and foods. Local products have less of an environmental impact - and you'll be supporting the local economy where you're vacationing - which they will appreciate as well!

Using these travel tips will help you enjoy your vacation without worrying about what you are doing to the environment. Best of all, you can even save yourself money by following many of these tips. So go out and have yourself a great vacation this summer, and keep the planet safe at the same time.

Help Reduce Global Warming with Your Transportation Choices

Transportation is important to the lives of many individuals, not just Americans.  Many commuters rely on the road to get them to and from work, to travel on vacation, to run weekly errands, as well as to make it to important appointments.  Unfortunately, we are starting to learn just how much of an impact our reliance on transportation costs.  This is most evident in global warming and the ensuing climate change. 

Image via WikipediaWhen it comes to global warming, you will find that it is defined as the rise in the earth’s temperature, due to the increase in the emission of greenhouse gases.  First of all, although the sheer number of the vehicles on the road does have a negative impact on global warming and the environment, it is not the sole cause.  With that in mind, transportation is an issue that should be discussed.  It has been said that each car that is taken off the road can reduce carbon emissions by as much as seven to eight hundred pounds!

Although there is proof that our vehicles have a negative impact on the planet, most of us keep on driving, as if there were nothing wrong.  Why is this so?  It is largely due in part to a popular misconception.  Unfortunately, many drivers believe that they have to completely give up their vehicles or buy a new, more energy efficient (and possibly expensive) one.  Of course, these methods are some good ways to go about reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that enters into the earth’s atmosphere, but it is important to remember that these two options are not the only ones. 

As previously stated, you do not have to completely give up your vehicle to help in the fight against global warming.  What you will want to do, however, is limit your uses.  Are you able to carpool or use public transportation?  Is your workplace within walking distance?  If it is, you may want to leave your vehicle in your driveway more often.  With that in mind, remember that you do not have to completely give up your vehicle.  For instance, you may need to drive yourself to and from the supermarket.  If so, try and invite a friend along or carpool with another family member.  Also, limit your shopping trips and get as much as you can all in one trip.  These are all fairly simple steps that can help.

Image by richardmasoner via FlickrIn keeping with using your vehicle, it advised that you get your vehicle checked often.  Does your car’s air filter need to be changed?  Are your tires properly inflated?  Did you know that these two simple things can save you money, while helping to stop the affects of global warming?  They can.  In fact, many experts suggest that you change your car’s air filter once a month.  As for your car tires, keeping your tires properly inflated at all times can help to get you better gas mileage, as well as lessen the amount of pollutants that come from your vehicle.

As previously stated, one of the best ways to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from your vehicle is to upgrade.  If you are driving an older model, you may want to consider upgrading.  There are a number of affordable energy efficient vehicles and hybrids available for you to choose from.  Even if you are unsure as to whether or not a new car is in your budget, you may still want to take a look at what is available.  Many consumers are actually surprised with the affordability of many hybrids and other energy efficient vehicles (and remember you will also save on fuel costs over time).

As a reminder, you are urged to do your part to help limit the amount of carbon dioxide that enters the earth’s atmosphere from your own vehicles.  But remember that you can do your part without going completely "green" (which is a term used to commonly define global warming activists), if that idea doesn't appeal to you right now. It is okay to start small. Every step that you take to help in the fight against global warming, no matter how large or small, is likely to help.