Travel Actions

Change your transit patterns
Did you know that one third of the CO2 produced in the U.S. is from the transportation of people or goods? Pick one day a week to walk, bike, take public transportation or carpool to work or when you're running errands.

Share the Ride - Carpool
There are plenty of ways to save money by carpooling – on fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, parking fees, toll fees. Your car insurance may also have a discount for carpooling, so call your agent. Lower exposure to known air pollutants have also been associated with carpool lanes which tend to have lower concentrations of pollutants and result in a shorter length of trip (since you don’t have to stop and start in traffic), so carpoolers spend less time on freeways. Find a carpool through your city or county administration offices or go online.

  • Connect with California campuses, businesses, and friends to share a ride through the Zimride.com web resource
  • Rideshare Agencies in California can be found on the Valleyrides.com web site.

Burn calories instead of gasoline by riding a bike
By riding a bike 20 miles a week instead of driving a car that gets 20 mpg, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 1280 lbs a year, burn calories, and maintain your fitness level. Not to mention save some money on gas and other expenses like parking.

Sit back and enjoy the ride 
Taking public transit 20 miles a week instead of driving a vehicle that gets 20 mpg can reduce your carbon footprint by 1,100 lbs a year for Diesel or CNG buses or 880 lbs a year for transit rail or Amtrak.

  • Many navigation applications and websites, such as Google Maps, now integrate transit into the travel options.

Buy for Better Mileage
Buying a more fuel efficient vehicle that gets 10 mpg better than your current vehicle can save up to 4,000 lbs of greenhouse gas emissions a year, save you $400 or more on fuel costs, and natural resources.

Work from Home
Telecommuting (working from home) one day a week instead of driving a vehicle that gets 20 mpg can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 3,000 lbs a year. Co-benefits include saving on parking costs, increased productivity, and telecommuting allows you to spend less time on the road and more time working or doing the things you like, whether that's spending more time with friends and family, exercising or just relaxing at home.

  • Encourage your workplace to set up Telecommuting Policies

Reduce Air Travel
Save on travel expenses like food and lodging by choosing to utilize new teleconferencing technologies or vacationing at home.

  • Flying 1,000 miles less a year saves about 1,000 lbs off your carbon footprint.
  • Vacation close to home and when you do, consider taking a train ride. You can travel twice as far on the train than by car and emit the same amount of greenhouse gases.
  • Move information instead of people. Discover virtual conferencing technologies available like Skype and Google Docs for virtual document sharing
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