Step 2 - Transportation

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How does Tranporation contribute to my Carbon Footprint and Climate Change?

While most of us use transportation in our daily lives, few of us think about the impact it has on the environment. Walking and cycling are certainly green means of transportation, but what about cars, trains, planes, and buses?

The core of the issue is how these methods of transportation are fuelled. The most dominant fuel source over the past century has been oil, which is the raw material for producing gasoline and diesel fuel. Once the fuel is burned, it cannot be used again. This may seem obvious, but the point is that oil is a non-renewable resource. Once it is used, it cannot be used again. In comparison, electricity that is produced from a wind turbine or solar panel is a renewable resource because the energy source is not consumed - it is readily available to be used again and again.

So how do we use this knowledge to go green? Consider the pollution generated from your transportation and reduce it or eliminate it. Here are a few high polluting means of transportation:

• Air Travel
• Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)
• Cars with big block engines

Reducing the transportation we use, and using the most fuel efficient vehicles such as a Toyota Prius can significantly reduce our impact on the environment.