Some of the Benefits of Making Biofriendly Transportation Choices

In this month’s Biofriendly DIY, we’re going to cover some of the benefits of making biofriendly transportation options. Your choice of transportation, whether it be personal or work-related, can have a significant impact on the environment. Choosing more biofriendly ways of getting to and from your destination can be good for your personal well-being, as well as beneficial to the world around you.

Let’s take a look at the most common, accessible and biofriendly transportation options of which you may want to take advantage. Then we’ll get into why these options are beneficial.

Walking

One of the most, if not THE most, biofriendly transportation option is walking. Walking is a truly sustainable form of transportation, as well as being a great source of exercise. It gives you a chance to get outdoors, get some fresh air and get where you need to go.

Biking, Skating and More

Another smart transportation option is riding your bike. Most people live in areas where ride their bike around town is completely feasible. If you are one of those people, we recommend taking advantage of your situation and riding your bike whenever and wherever you can.

You can also skate, skateboard, use a scooter, etc. to get around town. If you go to walkscore, you can find out how transit friendly and how bike friendly your city is, as well as the walkability score of your neighborhood.

Carpooling and Ridesharing

For those who work farther away from home, we suggest you consider carpooling or ridesharing. Both of these options will allow you to get to work, but without having the environmental impact you would have had by driving alone. Many businesses encourage carpooling or ridesharing. Some may even offer programs or incentives for choosing these ways of getting to work.

Riding the Bus

Buses can be another biofriendly form of transportation. For example, in Santa Monica, California you can ride the Big Blue Bus to go green. While many of their buses are already battery electric, Big Blue Bus has committed to converting its entire fleet to zero emission by 2030. You may find buses in your city or town have similar goal. At the very least, riding the bus helps keep additional vehicles off the road, thus having the capability of reducing traffic and emissions.

Taking the Train

Depending on where you live, a train or metro rail, is another biofriendly, public transportation choice people make. In some cities, metro rail is a very easy way to get around town. Trains can be used for traveling from town and town, as well as longer distances. If your city is equipped with a thriving train system, this might be something to consider incorporating into your daily or weekly routine.

Driving a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle

Those who need to drive to and from work, should look at getting a hybrid or electric vehicle. These types of vehicles will not only save you a lot of money, especially with gas prices the way they are right now, but electric vehicles produce less emissions, too. In fact, huge emissions reductions are possible with smart EV charging.

Benefits of Making Biofriendly Transportation Choices

While people do have numerous transportation options available to them, there are countless benefits of making biofriendly transportation choices. So instead of just hoping in your car to make a short trip to the store, you should take a moment and consider these benefits before determining your choice of transportation.

Of course, the overall benefits will largely depend on which transportation option you choose:

Less Pollution

One of the main benefits of using biofriendly forms of transportation is you will be generating less pollution. How much less pollution depends on whether you are walking, ridesharing, taking a bus or driving an electric vehicle. However, each one is less harmful to the environment than driving your car everywhere you need to go. Even ditching the car for one day a week lowers your carbon footprint.

More Exercise and Time for Yourself

If you opt to ride your bike (or walk) as a key way of getting around town, you’ll get in more exercise and you’ll have more time for yourself. You can use this time to clear your head, soak in nature’s beauty, get a little fresh air and even get some Vitamin D. The same holds true for skating or riding your scooter.

More Outdoor Time

Those choosing to walk, bike, skate or scooter to their chosen destinations will enjoy the added benefit of getting more time outdoors. Instead being cooped up in a vehicle, you can take advantage of your trip and spend the time outdoors. According to this article, the average American drives about 25 miles a day and spends an average of one hour behind the wheel (unless you’re in a big city like Los Angeles, where it’s way more).

Connecting with Others

When you carpool, rideshare, ride the bus or take a train, it can be a great opportunity to connect with others. You can do so in person or catch up with friends on the phone, as long as you aren’t the one in the driver’s seat, of course. Even if you’re walking or riding your bike, you might consider doing so with friends or family to allow you some time to hang out.

Less Traffic on the Road

Another key benefit of opting for more biofriendly transportation options is there will be less traffic on the road. When you walk, bike, rideshare, carpool, take the bus or ride the train, you are taking vehicles off the road and, therefore, lessening the amount of traffic. This lowers emissions, reduces pollution and can lessen the wear and tear on highways.

Less Stress

Driving can be extremely stressful, particularly when you are doing so in rush hour traffic. Using more eco-friendly sources of transportation helps to alleviate stress for both you and your wallet. With gas prices as high as they are right now, there’s no question many families are feeling the added stress at the gas pump. When you choose to let someone else do the driving (rideshare, carpool, bus or train), you can sit back and relax. Maybe take the time to get a little work done, read a book, look at the scenery as you go by and more. Whatever you decide, use the opportunity to lower your stress levels.

Less Dependability on Gas and Oil

Those choosing to ditch their gas-guzzling vehicles for more biofriendly forms of transportation will have less dependability on gas and oil. You won’t have to feel the hit to your wallet due to soaring gas prices. You also won’t have to worry about potentially expensive repairs due to driving wear and tear.

More Support and Use of Renewable Energy Sources

For those opting for renewable energy-powered sources of transportation, you will not only benefit personally, but you will be helping to support using this type of energy in the transportation sector. This could include riding a solar-powered bus or train, using solar or wind energy to charge your electric vehicle and more.

As you can tell, there are countless types of biofriendly transportation and many benefits of using such. While this is in no way a complete list, it should give you an idea of the choices you can make and the positive impact your choices can have. We’d love to hear your favorite form of biofriendly transportation and what benefits you have experienced!