Transport is a major part of our lives; we need it to travel to work, education, to meet friends and family, and for goods and services etc. Being such an intrinsic part of our daily lives, it is also one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions—accounting for almost 20 – 25% of the world’s energy consumption and these figures are rising at breakneck speed currently. Transport emissions besides contributing towards climate change are also altering cityscapes with pollution and smog, as well as road crashes, road rage, physical inactivity etc. Unfortunately, these things affect pedestrians, bikers, and those who travel by public transport more than those who drive their private vehicles. Sustainable transport or green transport is the need of the hour. Green transport lowers the impact on the environment considerably and includes walking, cycling, green vehicles, carpooling, and using energy-efficient public transport. Green transport helps protect the environment and promotes a healthy lifestyle too; it also brings people together in the process.
To make your commute green, you could start with walking or taking a bike to work, school, college or wherever it is that you need to go. If you don’t need to traverse a highway, you’re fit enough for the exercise and your destination isn’t too far then you could do this and put yourself in the lowest carbon-emission bracket. If your destination is a little too far for walking or cycling then the next best option is to take public transport like buses, metro/tube, trains—it is cheaper, eco-friendly and you get to meet lots of people en route. Once you reach the building you could also try and use the stairs instead of the elevator.
In today’s day, with such advanced technology you could also try and telecommute when it comes to work, especially if you need to travel a long distance just for one meeting. These days many companies allow their employees to work from home as well, so you could try and explore that option one or two days a week. If your work is such that you can work from anywhere but don’t want to work from your home then you could check if there is a hub near your house. Hubs are office space sanctuaries for freelancers wherein eclectic mixes of professionals share office spaces. If possible, then you can also reduce commuting to your workplace by making your workweek a four-days-ten-hours one instead of five-days-eight-hours; this will give you a longer weekend every week too.
Try and carpool as much as possible by finding colleagues in your neighbourhood and taking turns driving; the same can be done for and by school and college students. If you cannot avoid driving your own car to work or elsewhere because of lack of connectivity then try and maintain your car properly. Regular maintenance makes your car last longer and helps save on fuel. Ensure that your car tyres are inflated properly at all times and you do regular oil checks. Driving at or below the permissible speed limits does have its advantages since it helps improve your fuel efficiency and also helps avoid road accidents. Try and avoid traffic hours or choose alternative less crowded routes. Try and switch off the engine at traffic signals if the wait is for more than 30 seconds. Most importantly, try and invest in a small, fuel-efficient car.
Your main aim should be to conserve resources and make commuting efficient.
