You have a whole lifetime of travel plans. You’re off to the mall, work and grocery store on a daily basis, but you also have trips to take. You might take an airplane quite a few times in your life, and you might take a cruise now and then. Some people are truck drivers, and they are on the road all the time.
All that travel amounts to a pretty significant carbon footprint. If you’re interested in looking for a few ways to reduce that lifetime footprint, you’ve come to the right place!
Don’t Fly, Drive!
Airplanes are a major contributor to atmospheric pollution. There are more studies that should be done, but the ones that have all point to one fact: per person, air travel provides greater pollution than non-air travel. That’s why driving cross-country is a better idea for you and your family than flying.
Drive Less (Aggressively)
Almost everyone has to drive at some point. It’s almost impossible not to, so we may as well try and be reasonable about it. First of all, if you don’t really need to drive somewhere, don’t! Walking or riding your bike has the benefit of reducing your footprint while also keeping you in shape.
If you do need to drive, you can still reduce your footprint. Driving like a reasonable person can help you reduce your gas emissions by as much as 33%. In addition to working on your road rage, you can also reduce your footprint even further by keeping your car in shape. Regular oil changes, new tires and other general repairs keeps your car running better and with fewer emissions.
Sailing Instead of Shipping
You know that lovely cruise you were thinking of? You can still go out on the water if you’d like, but you may need to learn a bit more about it. Sailing gets you out on the water, but without all the confined spaces and other people’s vomit that comes with a cruise.
Choose Your Workplace
Everyone needs a job, but some jobs are able to be a bit more environmentally friendly than others. You can, for example, choose to have a job with less than 25% travel. That means that you won’t be asked to fly or drive somewhere on a regular basis.
If your current position isn’t one that allows for that, such as the military, a transition resume is your new best friend! You may be stuck in one position in the military, but switching over to civilian life can put you in a great position to make a major difference. If that’s your goal, however, make sure to mention how you feel about reducing the environmental impact. It can help set you up for a leadership position.
No matter what kind of travel you’re looking to do in your life, choosing to reduce your daily footprint means that the big steps you take have less impact altogether. Some super simple tips, like non-aggressive driving, and avoiding flights, can make a huge impact on your total footprint.
Any reduction is better than none at all and encourages others to do the same. So go ahead and grab your old bike, because you don’t really need to drive 5 minutes to the grocery store, do you?
Images: Thomas Anderson | Sukanto Debnath
