Greening your NY Transportation

You may be thinking, "Hey, I walk and take the subway almost everywhere I go in the city-- why do I need to think about transportation-related emissions?" That may be true, but how many plane trips have you taken in the past year? CarbonCounter.org estimates that the average American flies 1,055 miles per year, releasing almost one-half ton of carbon dioxide into the air.

Some airlines are already looking into jet fuels blended with ethanol to reduce their emissions, but in the meantime there are other ways to reduce the carbon footprint created by your personal travel.

First, you can vacation closer to home. Do you need to fly to Florida when hundreds of miles of beautiful New Jersey and Long Island shorelines are just a train ride away? Or, if your travel is business related, consider whether a video- or tele-conference call might suffice.

Of course, some trips must be taken. Everyone has family and friends scattered across the globe and experiences a sometimes insatiable feeling of wanderlust. One way to help compensate for the emissions released during these trips is by purchasing carbon offsets at websites like Carbon Counter. Carbon offsets provide funding for green energy, R&D, and design, and therefore help to neutralize the impact of your carbon emissions. (The practices of some carbon offset providers are sometimes unclear or even shady, so it's best to research a company before purchasing offsets. The Climate Trust's Carbon Counter offsets received a positive review in this Consumer's Guide, so I've been using that site.)

Carbon offsets are also a good idea for NYC drivers. Believe it or not, over 1.7 million New Yorkers own cars.* This fact is rather mind-boggling, given the hassles of alternate side parking rules, the horrible traffic, and the high costs of owning a car in this city. If you are an NYC-dweller and a regular driver out of necessity or preference, there are still a number of ways to reduce the pollution emitted by your vehicle.

1) Make your car as fuel-efficient as possible: Keep your tires fully inflated to reduce resistance and thus save on gasoline. Make your car as light as possible by removing items like roof racks when they are not in use, and avoid storing things in your trunk.

2) When it's time to buy a new car, go hybrid: But in the meantime, advocate for the availability of E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline that can be used in most cars on the road today) in New York City. Shell is a major supplier of E85 and has many stations in NYC-- send them an email at ShellCustomerCare@shell.com or call 888-GO-SHELL. You can also sign up with the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition to receive updates on E85 availability here. For a list of E85 suppliers across the country, click here.

3) Consider renting instead of owning: Think about the time you spend driving your car to your destination and back again vs. the time you spend driving your car in circles looking for parking spots. What does that ratio look like? Perhaps renting a car only when you really need it is better for you-- especially now that many car rental companies are stocking hybrid cars.

4) Driving because you hate the subway? Try riding a bike: People of all ages commute on bicycles in New York and more bike lanes and greenways are springing up all the time. Check out Transportation Alternatives and Time's Up! for all things bike-related in New York City.