green ecoliving | 5 Ways to Green Your Transportation

5 Ways to Green Your Transportation

Posted on April 12, 2009
Filed Under Green Your Transport | Leave a Comment

One significant way that you can green your life is by changing your mode of transportation. This may be easier to do in cities than in suburban or rural areas, but it is not impossible. Our top five Go Green transportation suggestions are:

1. Leave the car at home. Walk, take public transit or bicycle. You save money, save the environment and feel more energetic. Who knows, maybe you will even loose a few pounds!

knapsack_bike

If you want to combine walking and biking, you can always get yourself one of these Bergmoench bikes that fold into a backpack!   Ok, they are not real bikes – they don’t have pedals or seats -  more like downhill scooters, but so cool!


Bergmönch from Thomas Kaiser on Vimeo.

2. If you are thinking about purchasing a car, but don’t need one every day, why not try a car sharing service like Zipcar or Autoshare. Or, if you live in Sebastopol, California,  SolarCarShare is almost ready to launch one of the first electric car share programs in the world! Car sharers also tend to bike, walk, and use public transit more. The pounds keep falling off!

3. Need your own motorized transportation? How about an electric scooter? I have had my eyes on the sleek looking Vespas for a quite a while now.

vespa

Not quite a motorcycle but stylish and energy efficient they are perfect for city driving. In the United States, as part of the government’s stimulus package, you can get a tax rebate when you purchase one. In Toronto, Canada you can park free at all metered spots on city streets. Can other cities be far behind?

4 . Ok, you really need a car. There are some pretty exciting new energy efficient cars on the market these days. Whether you are looking for two seater or a pickup truck, the National Resources Canada’s fuel consumption ratings guide allows you to calculate the most fuel efficient car for your requirements.

For a quick summary, check out Consumer Reports list of the most fuel-efficient cars and the cars with the best & worst fuel economy by category.

5. Got a day long journey? Take the train. Today’s trains are luxury vehicles with comfortable high backed seats and wireless Internet.  Relax, and let someone else worry about getting you to your destination.

Happy travelling…

Susan

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