small steps, smaller footprints

 

One thing is for certain, in the U.S. there is room (literally) for improvement in carpooling and public transit. Americans actually used to be better about ride-sharing. In 1980, over 30% of American workers either carpooled, used public transportation, walked, or cycled to work. That share of commuters has been in steady decline. Today, just 10% of U.S. workers carpool, use public transit, walk, or cycle to work. This is especially tragic because the average commuting distance in America is approximately 13 miles roundtrip, much further than in other countries.  Why are we headed in the wrong direction? One reason could be the affordability of personal transportation, but this hasn't prevented growth in public transit and ride-sharing in other nations. America has a unique vehicular mindset. Talk to those you work with, be open to other means of transportation, explore your social network. Many people have yet to tap into potential ride-share partners at work. Who knows, you may already be acquainted with a few individuals who live and work in locations that make it convenient for you all to fill a vehicle and save money. If you have a hard time finding others to buddy up with, there are several ride-sharing apps that might be able to help you out. We understand it is very unlikely that you will be able to carpool 100% of the time. For Action 28, we assume the average American can carpool with one or two other people, while also saving a couple hundred kilograms of annual CO2 emissions by consolidating other trips. Action 28 is the second-most impactful action. The impact of committing to this group effort is:

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