Urban Green Living: 5 Eco-Friendlier Ways to Commute in 2020

You probably listen all the time about the polluted environment you’re living in. Urban areas especially are mentioned in this context. Transportation creates a large carbon footprint. Gases are constantly exhausted and it’s just getting worse. People are looking for ways to be eco-friendlier when commuting. The truth is there is one completely green way – telecommuting. This is the best option to help save the planet, but this can’t be applied to every job. If your job is one of those and you have to actually commute, it’s not all bad. You can still make a positive impact. There are ways in which you can give your small, but important contribution to saving the planet.

Walk

When it comes to finding eco-friendly ways to commute, the first thing that comes to mind is walking. Choosing to go to work on foot is a win-win situation. It’s both beneficial for you and the environment. If the distance ahead of you is not that great, and the weather is nice, walking is the best way to take part in saving the environment. Walking is a way of exercising and improving your overall mental and physical health. No bad thing can be caused by walking.

Besides all the benefits for your health and environment, it’s also great for saving money, since you won’t be spending any money on it. The only money you’ll have to spend is on some quality shoes that will make your every walk easier. You’ll have more time if you don’t get stuck in traffic every other minute. Whenever the circumstances allow you, go on foot, save your health and environment.

Cycle

Another great way of commuting is cycling. This way you’ll be saving the planet in the same way as with walking, but you’ll be doing much more exercising. This is great cardio, and your muscles will be really grateful if you opt for this way of commuting. Your daily workout is done while commuting, this really is the best scenario. No fancy gear is necessary, and you can do it alone, or with someone else.

Bicycles are not the only eco-friendly way to commute. You can order a custom scooter, and make your commuting even more fun. A scooter is great because you won’t be traffic. Scooters are easily portable and stored, and an extremely fun way to commute. You can also opt for a hoverboard. This is a completely green way to commute since it doesn’t consume much energy. It’s also portable, and you can even bring it to holidays if you don’t want to stop being eco-friendly even on vacations.

Public transportation

One of the most obvious choices for greener commuting is using public transportation. This isn’t the best possible choice, but it still is better than commuting with your car. First of all, you are avoiding traffic and reducing it. One less car on the road makes a big difference. You know how annoying city traffic can get, why not avoiding it if you have the opportunity. This way of commuting is also advantageous if you have a stressful job with a big responsibility. Reducing stress and commuting relaxed will make a difference in your health and professional life.

Using public transportation always involves opportunities for meeting new people and making new friendships. On a bus or a train, you’ll have enough time to read a chapter of a book, listen to the news, or just relax and listen to some music. Depending on where you live, this way of commuting will help you even save some money. You’ll be improving your health too if you have some extra walking to do from the transit stop to the office. And the planet will be grateful because you’ll cut down on carbon emissions.

Carpooling

If you’re not a fan of public transport and can only see more flaws than benefits of it, don’t worry, there are still ways to be eco-friendly, even if the distance you have to cover is pretty long. Using a privately owned vehicle doesn’t have to be disastrous for the planet. This is true especially in cases when you are going the same way as your friends or colleagues. Then, carpooling is your best option.  Why not share the vehicle?

This way, you’ll still be avoiding traffic, and there’ll still be one less car on the streets. You can agree with your friends on splitting all the costs, and commuting more responsibly. You can spend time bonding and having fun instead of exposing the planet to volumes of exhausted gas.

Use your car, but consciously

Even if you don’t want to carpool or you don’t have the opportunity to do so, you can use your car in a more eco-friendly way. The first thing you should do if you must drive your car to work is to maintain it properly. Proper maintenance will save your car and save you some money on fuel. Be sure to change the oil regularly and take the unnecessary loads out of the car.

When you get behind the wheel, don’t forget to slow down. Even if you’re late, you’ll still get there. By slowing down you improve your fuel efficiency. You can calculate the price of gas to have a big picture of what it means to drive to work. Try to do all your errands on the way to work. Planning and consciously using your car will prolong its lifespan and create less damage to the planet. If you have to wait in the car, even for a minute, stop your idling. It’s a mistake to leave it running. Stopping the idling saves gas, but more importantly, keeps emissions out of the surrounding air.

Conclusion

You can do a lot if you want to make your commuter greener. Think of the distance you have to cover when commuting and choose one of the ways which will make the most sense for you. Travel on foot, bike, opt for the subway or carpooling, and you’ll already be making a difference.