Establishing Eco-friendly Transportation

The phrase green transportation might conjure up images of bicycles, pedestrian walkways, and mass transit. However, green transportation is more of a spectrum than green or not green. Green transportation can include eco-efficient cars, ridesharing, buses, trains, telecommuting, biking, walking, and a number of other modes all of which have different green and not-green characteristics.

Transportation Options

BASELINE: Single occupancy vehicles (SOVs)

Though conventional SOVs do not contribute to greening, the non-green benefits of SOVs include comfort, flexibility, and often (but not always) their ability to save time. The many cons of SOVs include high levels of emissions per person, its inability to support equity due to high up-front costs, fuel costs, and repair costs, and its promotion of a more sedentary lifestyle.

Single occupancy hybrid/eco-efficient vehicle (SOV-0)

More and more people are choosing hybrid vehicles, eco-efficient vehicles, or electric vehicles. These choices are slightly greener than the conventional SOVs, however, the concept of personal cars is inherently not green.

• Benefits: Emissions can be reduced slightly with hybrids and efficient cars.
• Costs: Though emissions are reduced, there are still emissions associated with hybrids and efficient cars. Electric cars may or may not contribute emissions depending on the source of electricity generation. If you are plugging it into the grid, it is likely that fossil fuels are powering your car anyway. These alternative SOVs have similar negative social, economic, and health impacts as conventional SOVs.

Carpooling (Ridesharing)

Whether you call it ridesharing, carpooling, or vanpooling, if its not feasible for you to eliminate the use of automobiles altogether, carpooling can be a great way to cut many of your impacts in half.

• Benefits: As you may imagine, the more people you are driving, the greater the reduction in your carbon footprint. And, it is always nice when something that is better for the environment is also better for your wallet, too. Sharing fuel costs and reducing the number of miles and wear/tear on your personal vehicle can save you a significant amount of money. Additionally, many employees who carpool say that their commute is much more enjoyable when they share it with a colleague.
• Costs: The negative aspects of carpooling include the contribution to emissions, financial costs though reduced are still present, not everyone has access to a car, and it does not promote an active lifestyle.

Public transit

Take advantage of your metro areas transportation system either by commuter train, subway, or bus.

• Benefits: If carpooling with one colleague can cut your contribution to carbon emissions in half, imagine the reduction of your impact if you jump on a mode of transportation with dozens of other passengers. In many cases transit fare is less than the fuel cost for the same trip, and even if it is not it is certainly cheaper than the other costs associated with driving (parking, repairs). When you support public transit you are also supporting social equity. The more people who use public transit, the more resources will be allocated to upkeep and improvements to an affordable means of transportation.
• Costs: Though using public transit greatly reduces emissions, in most cases it does not eliminate emissions altogether. There is also an economic cost with the fare, even though it is generally affordable. Lastly, public transit isnt active in and of itself even though it usually promotes walking or biking to get to and from transit stops.
• Incentives: Epstein offers a transit fare reimbursement program, talk with your company about doing the same!

Bicycling

In recent years many metropolitan areas have worked to improve and expand the bicycle network throughout the city. As a result biking to work has been getting progressively safer and easier for commuters.

• Benefits: Biking eliminates your commutes contribution of emissions altogether while getting a workout. This will also allow you to eliminate nearly all commute-related costs as well the only fuel you need is a good breakfast, park just about anywhere for free, no transit fares, and a quick tune-up can keep you going for months. Similar to supporting public transit, supporting bicycling means supporting an affordable means of transportation, which will encourage your city to allocate more resources toward further improving bicycle infrastructure.
• Costs: The only costs associated with biking are up front purchasing costs and repairs. However, some other downfalls to commuting by bike include the limitations due to inclement weather and increased time needed to commute.
• Incentives: Our landlord, U.S. Equities, offers rental space in the basement of our building for secure bicycle parking. Check with you landlord for a similar offering.

Walking

Though the appropriate applications may be limited, the benefits of walking to and from work are beyond any other mode of transportation weve discussed.

• Benefits: Walking produces no emissions, has no economic costs, and promotes an active lifestyle.
• Costs: Perhaps the two biggest downfalls of walking to and from work are the inability for disabled persons to get around easily and quickly, and the extra time it takes to walk.