How to Save the Earth by Using Public Transportation

Using public transportation can save you money, relieve traffic congestion and give you a chance to decompress on your commute. Even more importantly, however, public transportation allows you to lighten your environmental footprint by reducing harmful emissions and the need for growing urban sprawl. So help save the planet by dumping your car keys for a bus, subway or light-rail pass.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Commit to using public transportation at least 1 to 2 days a week. According to the American Public Transportation Association, if Americans used mass transit for just 10 percent of their weekly transportation needs, the U.S. would reduce its foreign oil dependency by nearly 40 percent and lower carbon monoxide emissions by around 25 percent.

2. Visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website for a list of public transportation resources in your area, along with contact information for each (see Resources below). Familiarize yourself with mass transit types and routes that will work for your commuting needs.

3. Support fare-free public transit. Write to your elected officials and the public transit system in your area to vocalize the need for a reduction or removal of fares. Public transportation systems could save a lot of money without hiring employees to run ticket windows and paying for the expensive maintenance of ticketing machines. According to Alternet.org, New York City spends about $200 million a year to collect transit fares. Check out Alternet's full article to read more about the benefits of free fares (see Resources below).

4. Lobby the representative in your area if your city needs to be more proactive about public transportation. Encourage officials to allocate money to fund the installation and maintenance of light rail and rapid transit bus systems and expand current systems to outlying areas. To find your representative and his contact information, visit Project Vote Smart (see Resources below).

5. Take the light rail or subway instead of the bus. If your area offers rail or underground service, you'll reduce your environmental footprint even more than by using the bus. To compare the impact of various transit forms on the Earth, visit CarbonFootprint.com (see Resources below).

6. Ride your bike to subway or rail stations rather than driving. Most stations have bike racks where you can secure your wheels for the day, while some mass transit systems even allow you to take your bike with you when you board.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can't use public transportation every day, visit TreeHugger.com for a list of ways to protect the Earth by reducing your car's environmental footprint (see Resources below).
• Protect your health while you're protecting the Earth. Mass transit users walk regularly to and from stops and destinations, making them healthier than those who drive everywhere.

Resources

• TSA for mass transit resources near you.
• Alternet.org for information on a free-fare revolution.
• CarbonFootprint.com for environmental impact calculator.
• Project Vote Smart to locate your representative.
• TreeHugger.com for how to help the environment.

[judasasparagus]

on 11/13/2009 BE RESPONSIBLE!......ALL of the above listed conditions have one thing in common: Humans.
The evidence culminates into the assertion:
Human population has outstripped the natural equilibrium.
Despite all of the individual actions proposed here,
the magnitude of our destruction is too great for us to cure the problems.
The most efficient way to cure these ills is to reduce human population.
This need not be a deadly scenario, but a shared responsibility.
In a peaceful way, human population can be reduced to 1 billion in 100 years.
All it will take is a simple collective will to succeed and a single personal act.
If we make this choice, we will be the most honored generation of all time.
If we do not make this choice, we will be the most cursed.

Save the planet, save humanity. It is pressingly urgent!