How to green your commute

The transportation sector is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, 95 percent of which is made up of climate-altering carbon dioxide. Most of the major metropolitan areas in the country are plagued by traffic congestion and poor air quality. Building more roads to accommodate the insatiable craving for driving space, while ignoring the negative side effects, is like serving sweet cake to a sugar addict.

 

Photo: TexasT/Flickr
 

Carpooling, particularly in areas underserved by public transit, is a way to get people to leave their cars at home. Commuters headed in the same direction can travel together and save money by splitting the cost of gas, tolls and parking. Some insurance companies, such as Geico, offer discount plans for rideshares. Every rideshare helps remove four cars from the road — the equivalent of planting 4,000 trees. A once-a-week shift to carpool can reduce a commuter's carbon footprint by 20 percent.

 

Carpoolers can alternate driving each week to lessen the burden on any one person. Establishing clear boundaries about what's permissible while sharing the ride will help avoid later conflicts. Set rules to clarify smoking, eating or cell-phone chatting preferences on the ride. Advance discussions of how you’ll split trip costs can also prevent future misunderstandings. Meet your neighbors and build local camaraderie.

 

Some employers offer incentives, such as priority parking spaces, to encourage ridesharing. In many cases, carpoolers can also cut travel times by using HOV, or high-occupancy vehicle, lanes. There are also other discounts that make ridesharing attractive, such as reduced toll payments and gas expenses. Carpooling cuts travel times for everyone on the road by easing congestion, but it specifically lets those using HOV lanes bypass major traffic jams.

 

Numerous websites provide ways to connect to other commuters searching for or offering a ride. First, find out if any co-workers live in your area. A carpool may already exist that you can join. Companies sometimes have bulletin boards where workers can post messages to find each other and arrange rides. A 60-mile daily commute in a two-person carpool saves $4,387.50 annually versus commuting alone.

 

Websites like Craigslist are helpful for finding rideshares. Rideshare Carpoolconnect, NuRide and Zimride are examples of sites that can help you find a ride or start one yourself. Zimride has an application on Facebook to make connecting to potential carpoolers easier. NuRide has a video tutorial that offers step-by-step instructions on how to set up a carpool.