Our carbon footprint has gotten a lot worse in recent years, and even though electric vehicles have become much more widespread, air pollution keeps getting worse.
At the end of the day, even EVs require electric energy, and it’s usually produced in power plants that use fossil fuels, meaning that you’ve practically just added a middleman to the equation rather than solving the issue at hand.
Every short trip you make with your car contributes to your carbon footprint, and if you just make some minor adjustments to how you look at transport, you can actually contribute to some positive change in terms of being eco-friendly.
Make sure that your values align with your actions, and that you’re doing everything in your power to keep your pollution down to a minimum.
Walk or bike
The easiest way to make some good contributions to the battle against pollution is by simply taking fewer car rides, whether it’s for school, work or a trip to the store, if you don’t have to go by car, you probably shouldn’t.
This is useful for a number of reasons, including the fact that it’s beneficial to your body, seeing as you’re putting in a fair amount of effort to walk or bike to where you’re going.
This is particularly true if you’ve got an office job that’s got you sitting down for 8 hours a day, which can do severe damage to your spine if you spend an entire career slouched over at your desk.
Of course, a small addition to your chair can fix this issue, but by giving up your car on days when the weather is nice, you’re solving 2 issues in one fell swoop.
Use public transport
On the other hand, some of us have work commutes that are far too long to be done on foot or by bike, but this doesn’t mean that you’ve got to drive to work.
Instead, you could make use of the many public transport options that are available, and while it may be slower, you’re not going to be contributing to the overall air pollution as you’ll be using a transport option that was already there.
However, due to the commute being longer, you can use this extra time to catch up with some schoolwork or listen to your favorite podcast, something you couldn’t do if you were driving.
That being said, you should always look to be making positive contributions to the eco-friendliness of your surroundings, and if there are any “greener“ transport options available to you, you should do everything in your power to use them.
Carpool
If there isn’t any public transport from your home to your school/workplace, you may still have to go by car, but you could choose to carpool with some of your fellow employees that live on your route to work.
On top of being an eco-friendly option, it’s also a great way to save some extra money on gas, as you’ll have other passengers with you, and the gas consumption won’t change by a lot for a few extra people riding with you in the car.
This helps reduce the number of cars on the road while also helping your friends, family or coworkers get to where they’re headed at a much cheaper price than it normally would.
Do your chores en route to work
Time is money, and any time you spend commuting between home and work can be implemented much better, as you could be doing a number of your other obligations while you’re traveling.
One thing you could be doing is dropping off your recycling at the plant if it’s on your route to work, or donating to charities that are nearby.
We’ve all got clothes or other items in our homes that we no longer use, and someone else could make use of them.
Of course, you could set up a yard sale and make a few extra dollars on the side by selling them, but if you donate them to someone who really needs them, you’ll be reducing the possibility of the item ending up in a landfill while also doing a good deed and helping someone in need.
Bottom line
There are more than a few things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.
From choosing healthier transport methods to carpooling with coworkers, family, and friends, it’s up to you and your circumstances to find the best option for you.
Making the switch over to an EV does seem like a good way to contribute to being eco-friendly, but in the grand scheme of things, it does little to reduce the amount of pollution that ends up in our atmosphere.
The electricity used to power your vehicle has to come from something, and it’s usually produced in a fossil fuel powerplant, making the EV company nothing more than an unnecessary middleman.