transportation

Author

MARK SNYDER

Do It Green! Minnesota

As we learn more about the potential effects of climate change, many of us are exploring ways to reduce our "carbon footprint" or how much carbon dioxide is created by the choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, and what we buy and throw away. In Minnesota, more than 25% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the air is from motor vehicles, making cars one of the largest contributors to our individual carbon footprints.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to immediately reduce our

Author

METRO TRANSIT

If you're looking for ways to leave your car at home and reduce your carbon footprint, Metro Transit can help you pick the best option to get you moving.

Metro Transit has a variety of tools at metrotransit.org to get you started. One example is the Trip Planner which helps find the transit route that fits your needs. For instance, you can enter in a starting point, an end point destination and time of travel, and the Trip Planner will give you route options, fare information, and links to maps.

Author

ELI EFFINGER-WEINTRAUB

Do It Green! Minnesota

Aircrafts account for 12 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from US transportation sources and three percent of our total carbon dioxide emissions. The US is responsible for nearly half of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft.

Airplanes emit nitrogen oxides, which are chief contributors to smog, acid rain, and water quality deterioration.

Author

Eco Cars

HOURCAR Program Manager

Let's get this straight: the most efficient mile you can drive is a mile you don't drive. Despite technological advances, cars are still 3,000 pounds of steel moved around by (mostly) fossil fuels. That said, there are some exciting new technologies which promise more efficient driving, which can help both the environment and your pocketbook.

Eight years after the Prius was first introduced, hundreds of thousands have been sold, far outpacing all other hybrids, and it is a cultural symbol. After-market plug-in modules for the Prius are now available to the

Author

METRO TRANSIT

Beginning in late 2009, the Northstar Commuter Rail Line will offer efficient transportation from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis, helping ease traffic congestion-and the resulting emissions-in one of the state's fastest growing travel corridors.

Trains can carry the equivalent of nearly one-and-a-half lanes of highway traffic at peak travel times-up to 7,200 riders per day. Operating on existing tracks, trains will reach a top speed of 79 mph.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Metro Transit,
www.metrotransit.org
Route Map: www.mn-getonboard.com/plan_route.html

Map courtesy of Transit for Livable Communities.

Author

DOUG SHIDELL

Little Transport Press

What's the key to bicycle commuting?

It's the will to ride.

Author

METRO TRANSIT

Metro Transit's expanding fleet of hybrid-electric buses is helping Twin Cities' commuters experience an even greener ride.

Metro Transit unveiled its first hybrid bus in 2002 and recently added 60 more to its fleet as part of the agency's Go Greener initiative. Over the next four years, 112 more hybrids will follow.

These buses deliver about 25 percent better fuel economy and produce 90 percent fewer emissions than the buses they replace. Go Greener buses are exceptionally quiet, too.

Author

SARA GROCHOWSKI

Do It Green! Minnesota

For many of us, daily commutes to and from school or the workplace is an accepted part of life. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Minnesotans spend an average of 5.79% or $2,377 of their annual income on gasoline expenses. Considering these rates were published in a report based on 2007 prices and gas prices have continued to increase at alarming rates, finding a cheap way to get from one place to another has become increasingly difficult. Alternative modes of transportation can help your wallet and the environment.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Calculate your average fuel cost,
fueleconomy.gov/Feg
/savemoney.shtml

Natural Resources Defense Council,
nrdc.org