Green Team Tips of the Week

Transportation Tips

Ever considered car-sharing?
The Remarks, September 23, 2008

You probably seen Zipcars in parking lots and on the roads around Atlanta. Zipcar is a car-sharing program where you rent a car by the hour and avoid the hassles and expense of car ownership. A shared-car generally replaces 15 privately-owned vehicles. Here are some green benefits:

• Older cars are replaced with new ones that have more stringent pollution controls.
• Green space is preserved as fewer parking spaces are required to meet the driving needs of the same number of people.
• Less strain on urban parking infrastructure — saving businesses, governments, and universities money. Lower fuel consumption means fewer greenhouse gas emissions and particulates.
• And yes, less congestion on the roads.

Join Saint Mark's Zipcar Group for a reduced rate.

The Remarks, September 16, 2008

High gas prices got you down? Click here for a list of tips to reduce your gasoline consumption.

Want to walk, bike, or use transit, but don’t know the best way to do it? Click here to visit the A-Train Trip Planner for directions.

Biking is good for you, the environment, & your wallet
The Remarks, June 10, 2008

Eliminate one car trip per week by bicycling to the grocery store, to church, or to a nearby restaurant. A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe. (WorldWatch Institute). Of course, biking provides great exercise too, and it can also save time and money, as you combine your workout with commuting, and avoid car expenses, fuel prices, and parking fees. The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign supports programs like Bike Classes; Safe Routes to School; Share the Road; and Bicyle User Groups. You can learn about these and other efforts, as well as download bike maps at their website.

The Drive to Curb Global Warming
The Remarks, May 20, 2008

With summer coming on, many American families think about buying a new car. If you’re among them, consider a hybrid, which cuts both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The difference in lifetime greenhouse gas emissions is startling—75 tons of carbon dioxide in 100,000 miles for a big SUV, 40 tons for a typical sedan, and 20 tons for a Toyota Prius.

Weighty Matters
The Remarks, February 26, 2008

Our ecosystem’s delicate balance means that your health and that of the environment are inextricably intertwined. As if you needed another reason to shed those extra pounds: Statistics from the University of Illinois show that our cars use a billion extra gallons of gas a year transporting heavier people. The additional aircraft fuel burned annually to account for overweight passengers amounts to 350 million gallons, according to the Centers for Disease Control—producing an extra 3.8 million tons of atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide.

Hailing a Cab
The Remarks, February 12, 2008

Do you travel a lot for business or pleasure? In some American cities, you can call a taxi or limousine company and get picked up by a hybrid car. A Ford Escape hybrid will save more than 1,600 gallons of gas and 32,000 pounds of carbon emissions over the course of 100,000 miles of travel. Do your part: Telephone for these hybrid airport limo services: OZOcar in New York (1.866.696.5966), ECOLIMO in Los Angeles (1.888.432.6456), and PlanetTran in Boston (1.877.326.8294). A web search of “hybrid taxi” plus your city’s name may help you locate a cab company in your hometown.

Gwinnett County Express Bus
The Remarks, November 20, 2007

If you live in Gwinnett County and work in/near downtown, take the express bus. The County provides express buses along six routes using the HOV lanes on I-85. Monday through Friday, buses depart from three separate Park & Ride lots to various locations in downtown Atlanta, and return to Gwinnett County. Buses pick up and drop off at the MARTA Five Points and Arts Center stations.

The Remarks, August 21, 2007

Replacing a car that gets 20 miles / gallon with one that gets 30 miles / gallon might not seem that significant, but it amounts to two tons difference in carbon dioxide pollution each year.

Visit GreenerCars.org for information on automobile fuel efficiency.
Source: Earthshare.org.

The Remarks, August 7, 2007

Did you know that keeping your car tires properly inflated avoids 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted per household per year?

The Remarks, May 15, 2007

Find a Carpool Partner! The Atlanta Region Commission hosts an online ride-matching system to locate potential carpool partners. For more information visit www.187ridefind.com  or call 1-87-RIDEFIND.

The Remarks, February 27, 2007

Click here to figure your CO2 emissions. 

The Remarks, January 30, 2007

Your car puts several tons of carbon dioxide in the air every year. Click here to calculate your car’s emissions.  Consider balancing your impact by funding clean energy projects like wind farms or methane capture initiatives. Click here to visit TerraPass.