Decarbonize your commute
By Marie Caspard
A few weeks ago, I rediscovered an old shirt from my elementary school days that says “Be Cool, Walk to School!”
Parents would organize a “walk to school challenge.” Each homeroom would compete for aggregate miles walked to school by students over a week. This was a great opportunity for parents and students to experiment with “commute shifts.”
Now as an adult, I present to you the “Be Earth-y, walk to worky” challenge. Are you a commuter in the Portland area? I challenge you to test out one mode of transportation that’s a little lower impact than your current mode of transit at least once in the next month. Just try it out!
I encourage you to consider whether the assumptions you make about why you don’t commute in a different way hold up. You might be surprised by how much your commute is defined by habits that can be shifted.
In order to build and maintain infrastructure for decarbonized transportation, we need to use it! For those concerned about added commute time, I’d argue that the quality of your commute may be just as important as the time it takes to commute.
A few reminders of some lower impact transport options:
Carpool: Perhaps you have a long commute and coworkers who live nearby. I have found that sharing breakfast treats and chatting on commutes to be a great opportunity to build stronger relationships with coworkers. Especially when it’s a habit, you might find that it actually takes less effort to share your commute with a coworker than doing it by yourself. When it’s shared, only one of you has to drive and only one of you has to make morning coffee! Check out MaineDOT’s Park & Ride map for those commuting on larger throughways.
Bike to Work: Perhaps you’re within biking distance to work and you normally do in the summer but switch over to driving in the winter. Are you sure you can’t adapt your gear for winter? Try a few extra layers, studded tires, and lights for the dark. I have found that a thin hat under my helmet and thicker gloves were all I needed to keep me biking through the winter.
Walk: Keep it simple! For those within a few miles of work, perhaps budget a few hours every week to exercise. Consider making your commute your workout! This might also be a nice time to give a friend a call or catch up on some podcasts.
Take public transit: Perhaps you’ve been curious about the bus but never got around to figuring out the schedule. There’s no time like the present to check out the routes Greater Portland Metro covers. Again, this is a nice time to catch up on some podcasts or reading.
Happy commuting!
Bright Ideas is brought to you by PCAT, which meets the fourth Tuesday of the Month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. FMI: email Portlandclimate@gmail.com – http://facebook.com/PortlandClimateActionTeam.
