At least one day a week, consider taking the bus or light-rail, ride a bike, walk or carpool. Every time you avoid driving one mile you save 404 grams of carbon dioxide, which is about a pound.
It is estimated that for a 20 mile round trip commute mass transit can lower your carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds a year. Even if you skip driving yourself just one day you can save 960 pounds a year, which is like saving 49 gallons of gasoline.
Not only are there environmental benefits to mass transit and carpooling, but you can save money and free up time to read, work, study, listen to music, connect with friends, etc. Additional benefits to riding a bike or walking are of course health benefits as well as spending time outside and soaking in nature. Yes, even for city dwellers - you are witnessing nature whether it be the feeling of crunching leaves, the chirping of baby birds, or the subtle fragrances of fresh blossoms around you.
In case you are considering relocating, check out this ranking from All Transit of the Best Cities for Public Transportation to find a place that offers excellent public transportation systems. The rankings are based on the number of jobs accessible within a 30 minute trip and the frequency of service.
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