Tips for living green, part 3: Transportation
There are so many ways that your actions, both large and small, can help make your community and the world at large a healthier place. In this series, we’ll touch on a few ways you can make changes to “live green.”
One of the big ways to make a difference in fighting global warming is to reduce our use of fossil fuels by driving less or by taking alternate transportation. If you live in an urban area, you have a lot of options:
- Ride the train. Traveling by commuter rail is a great option if you live some distance from your job site. In addition, many major cities have subway or elevated trains that can take you from home to work as well as to restaurants, nightlife and cultural attractions in the city.
- Ride a bike. Bicycling wherever you need to go is the new thing. You can find a bike that suits your needs for commuting or even rent a bike to tour a new city when you’re traveling. Plus, pedaling through the park is a great activity for families on the weekends.
- Walk. You don’t need new gear or a timetable for this one. Walk a few blocks to the nearest grocery store rather than hopping in your car, or make it a half-hour sneaker commute to your workplace. Bonus: you get in a workout without half trying.
- Carpool or take the slug line. In many places, you can queue up in a slug line to share transportation with anyone going into or out of downtown. You can also set up a carpool with coworkers who live in your same area.
- Buy a greener car. Still need to drive? Buy an electric or hybrid or just a more fuel-efficient car. Check the U.S. Department of Energy’s list of most fuel-efficient cars to find the one that’s right for you.