How to drive down your carbon footprint and get a wellbeing boost Transport series

How to drive down your carbon footprint and get a wellbeing boost
 
Transport series 

Choice of transport is the biggest contributor to the average person’s carbon footprint.
 
"In the case of transport that runs on fossil fuels, the desire for businesses to put profit first and for individuals to buy fuel-guzzling cars, and go on exotic holidays, has led to us sacrificing the very air we breathe."
Liz Christou, Spend Green and Save The World

A while ago, I watched ‘climate change soapbox update’ with comedian David Mitchell where he makes fun of environmentalists who present sorting out the climate change issue as ‘an opportunity’. He says environmentalists present sorting recycling as fun, whilst the Jeremy Clarksons of the world present driving a 4x4 to the North Pole – while drinking gin – as fun; and Clarkson wins. 

He puts it like this: “His [way] is grotesquely irresponsible but like everything else that’s grotesquely irresponsible – it’s enormous fun. I want to see a global warming expert acknowledge that burning oil and the various machines we’ve invented that burn oil is brilliant, and it’s a real pisser we can’t do it anymore, but we can’t. Because of facts.”  

Check it out for a quick fix of light-hearted climate-related comedy (who knew there was such a thing!)...

The point that Mitchell makes is also a valid one. There are some things we’ll have to sacrifice for the sake of our future prosperity. Or at least they may seem like a sacrifice at first. 
 
For me, transport has probably been the lifestyle category where the thought of making changes has had a bit of a sting. Most likely because of the sense of freedom it offers. Doubtlessly, many of us yearn for freedom during the working week because such a big chunk of our lives is spent at work. Sure, some of us are lucky enough to have a job that provides some fulfilment but – for many of us – work doesn’t offer much more than a way to pay the bills. It’s only natural we spend some of our time daydreaming about the next time we can drive, or jet off somewhere to get away from it all.
 
It takes a mind shift to see changing our flying and driving habits as a positive change to our lives. So, we can remind ourselves of the problems our lifestyle is causing to make us willing and able to get there...

The consumer capitalism trap has us craving short-lived highs in fast cars, and we’re left choking on the fumes and hankering for our next fix. Waking up from this – to a world where fulfilment comes from using the higher brain to create a brighter future – is a big win. 
 
And by taking some of the solutions on-board, we shouldn’t have to sacrifice anything we truly hold dear, like visiting people and places. 

 
 
With that in mind, lets delve into low carbon solutions that can get us from A to B, because making conscious choices about what you spend your money on, to shape a better world, is priceless. 

 3 Simple suggestions this week...
 
1. Don't stall - car pool
Maybe you haven’t considered carpooling as it might seem like a pain to do… but the upsides could make it totally worthwhile. Things like: 
 
Every time you share a car journey, the carbon footprint of that journey is divided between the number of people in the car 
The cost of petrol is shared 
You get to meet and socialise with people
If you do a school run, save yourself the headache of having to do it every day 
 
You could try BlaBlaCar.co.uk in the UK, which shows you rated available drivers and the cost. 
 
Ridesharing.com is one option in the US or Canada where you can book your trip and pay online. 
 
Waze Carpool (owned by Google) is another. It can also be used by the company where you work, for free, to help connect co-workers. 
 
2. Walk that walk, peddle that bike
You’ve no doubt thought of this before, but it’s worth pointing out again because we can get into lazy habits of jumping in the car for the smallest of journeys without thinking. If doing this is taking you over your 3-tonne per year carbon footprint goal, and/or you just realise it’s unnecessary, reap the health benefits of walking or cycling instead. 
 
3. Public transport
According to footprintcalculator.org, travelling the same distance by bus compared to driving saves you 0.4 tonnes from your annual carbon footprint, and 1 tonne if travelling by train. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, public transport is the more environmentally friendly bet. It’s worth bearing in mind that this may not ring true for you, personally. If you drive an electric car, that is charged through renewable energy, for example, this will emit zero emissions on a given journey. If you do drive electric, you might want to think about how you can share the use of your car with others, instead of taking the bus.

More practical suggestions in the transport series coming next time. Until then, we'd love to hear from you if you have any thoughts on the suggestions or the movement...

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