Sustainable Detox: Transportation
Detox Introduction
Hi! I’m Molly, a businesswoman and new mom that wanted to feel less helpless about climate change. I created this detox to help define what individuals have the power to do and explain why it's important to do so. If you’re new to the detox, you can view the full intro post here. This post specifically focuses on transportation!
Your actions and abilities may seem small, but they're mighty and can create beautiful change for ourselves and our posterity!
The Impact Our Transportation Choices Have on the Environment
Traveling is magical. You get to learn about different cultures, try different cuisines, and see the beauty that nature has to offer! Traveling is also what made me start paying attention to climate change. I was working as a singer on a cruise ship and took a hike near the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska when I saw stone markers with dates where the glacier used to be before it began shrinking year after year. If it weren’t for that experience I wouldn’t have gone back to graduate school or even be writing this blog post at all!
Unfortunately, traveling right now is simultaneously life-changing and life-harming due to the greenhouse gas emissions that occur when getting from place to place. The transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and your mode of transportation likely has one of the biggest impacts on your personal environmental footprint (EPA, UC Berkley Research). However, the goal of this post is not to make anyone feel bad about traveling. It’s to make us aware of how and why greenhouse gas emissions are released through transportation and how we can support sustainable travel methods so that we can keep the world beautiful for our future explorations and those of our children too!
So where are all these travel greenhouse gasses coming from? Almost all modes of transportation emit greenhouse gas emissions, but in different ways. Let’s visualize this first with the help of Our World in Data
Most of the time, taking a train is the most eco-friendly option and flying is the worst, but it is a bit more complex than that. Learn how each method of travel emits greenhouse gas emissions below.
Gas-Powered Vehicles: Gas-powered vehicles are powered by, you know it - gas! The average passenger vehicle emits carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) from its tailpipe and hydrofluorocarbon emissions from leaking air conditioners (EPA). Nearly 60 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States are from passenger cars, S.U.V.s, and pickup trucks (NY Times). These tailpipe emissions impact climate change, air quality, and human health.
Air Travel: Fuel is also used for air travel and is also the cause of greenhouse gas emissions in this mode of travel. Jet fuel is burned for take-off and cruising and released through the airplane’s tailpipe. Taking off uses a larger portion of fuel than cruising, so the emissions caused by takeoff on shorter flights make up a larger portion of total trip emissions, making short airplane rides less eco-friendly (BBC).
Electric Vehicles: Electric vehicles can also cause greenhouse gas emissions. Crazy, right? The emissions do not come from the actual driving of the vehicle, but where it gets its energy or charge from. Have you ever wondered about how your electricity is sourced? It could be sourced from green sources, like wind or solar, or it could be sourced by burning fossil fuels. Unfortunately, the majority of our electricity is still sourced by fossil fuels, so this is most likely how most electric vehicles are charged. However, even when accounting for electricity emissions, electric vehicles are typically responsible for lower levels of greenhouse gases than average gasoline cars (EPA).
Trains: Train travel is actually very sustainable, much better than cars and air travel. However, there is still room for improvement (I know - there always is!) within the industry such as sourcing energy from renewable sources and improving operational efficiencies (Our World in Data).
Actions for Improvement
What can we do about it? The ultimate goal is to travel as efficiently as you can, but that can be hard to determine. If traveling had a Facebook profile our relationship with it would say… “it’s complicated” - because the most sustainable ways to travel differ depending on your situation.
Everyday Travel
Walking and biking are the most sustainable forms of travel, followed by taking the train (Our World in Data). Many of us have known this for a long time, but unless you live in a walkable city with efficient public transit, it is close to impossible to do your everyday travel in those ways. Especially if you have small kids! The next best option is driving an electric vehicle, but I understand that even this option can still be a bit new and scary to many people, so I will be writing an entire blog post on EVs! This blog post will un-mystify electric vehicles, including how to purchase an electric vehicle with the United States Clean Vehicle Tax Credit. Until then - visit this website.
If you are unable to walk, bike, train, or drive an electric vehicle to your everyday destinations (which is completely normal by the way), hope is not lost! You can…
Carpool
Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Because when tires are not inflated, they are less “round” and require more energy to begin moving and to maintain speed (Treehugger).
Start saving for a new or used electric vehicle!
Also, buying and owning an EV may be cheaper than you think (keep reading to learn more!)
Traveling Long Distances
The more environmentally friendly option for long distances also depends on your situation. But in most circumstances….
#1 = Train. Taking a train is nearly always the most efficient option no matter how many people will be traveling with you (Our World in Data).
#2 = A Tie. Second place is a tie because the option changes depending if you’re traveling in a group or on your own.
If you’re traveling with multiple people to a domestic destination…. DRIVE. When more people share the drive, emissions per person are reduced, making driving more environmentally friendly than flying.
If you are traveling a long distance alone, it actually makes more sense to fly! Especially if the other option is to drive a gas-powered vehicle.
No matter what, sometimes, your only option is to fly - even if you’re traveling with multiple people - and that’s okay! You shouldn’t feel bad about exploring our beautiful world! But what you can do is….
Turn down the private jet - First of all, if you have the option to fly on a private jet - congratulations! HOWEVER, “private jets are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, and 50 times more than high-speed rail, emitting two tonnes of CO2 in a single hour” (Reuters). So think twice about this option. Also - maybe you could do something powerful with the money saved from NOT flying on a private jet? Like a donation to NRDC. Just a thought.
Fly Direct - Flying direct is better than making multiple connections because planes use more fuel on takeoff and landing than they do when they are cruising.
Offset your Emissions by Purchasing Carbon Offsets
Sources: Reader’s Digest, BBC
Money You Can Save
The cost savings from walking, driving, and taking public transit are fairly obvious, but the cost savings for an electric vehicle is less known! Electric cars are cheaper over their lifetime of ownership when compared to an average gas-powered vehicle.The U.S. Department of energy found that electric car owners can save up to $14,500 on fuel costs over 15 years compared to similarly sized gas-powered vehicles. Also, the initial cost for electric vehicles is cheaper now with the U.S. Clean Vehicle Tax credit. Did you know you can even get credit for buying a USED EV now? Again, check out my blog post about the tax credit soon to come. As for air travel, flying economy is better for the environment and better for pocketbooks!
What I’ve Done & Saved
I live in New York City, so I walk and ride the train when I can. This saves me gas and parking money every time I go into the city on the train from queens!
I also purchased a Toyota Prius Prime in 2021 and have saved over $4,700 compared to an average gas-powered vehicle. A large portion of this was from the US tax credit. At the time of purchase, it was actually cheaper for me to buy a new car and receive this credit than to buy a quality used car because the used car market was so inflated. Also, since the car is electric, but also hybrid, I’m able to ride shorter distances on an electric charge and use less gas than average vehicles in hybrid mode. My office offers complimentary car charging stations, so I get a large portion of my commuting costs for free!
How to Start
You’ve got this! You don’t need to conquer all these at once! Start with one task a week or even a month and then go from there. Whatever you need to do to be sustainably sustainable. Any little bit counts!
