It’s easy to to think that individuals can’t make a difference when it comes to the issue of global warming. How often do we hear reports of governments and large companies making sweeping changes to help reduce their carbon pollution compared to smaller micro schemes? I often question the impact of individuals only to realise that real measurable change will only happen when everybody acts together. It is entirely possible to travel in an environmentally responsible way whereby you save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Here’s a list of ideas and techniques that when applied to your life will save you money and help protect our environment.
Use your own steam!
Protecting the environment doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive and time consuming. In fact, you can hack your habits to great effect and start making a difference in the morning. You’ll be doing your general fitness and health a favour as well as that of the environment.
1. Where possible, walk: Start with the simplest option first. Don’t drive everywhere, walk those small trips. In stating the obvious, by leaving the car behind and simply walking or riding a bike you are doing both yourself and the environment good. Not only will you save money on fuel and the general upkeep of car but other knock on effects include the improved outdoor air quality and reduction on road congestion.
2. Get on your bike: You’ll not always be able to walk to your destination. Jump on your bike for those trips where you’d normally be jumping into the car without a second thought. You’ll develop your muscles, improve cardiovascular health, reduce congestion and generate zero emissions.
Transport
We might as well face up to the fact that we live in a car culture, and it won’t change overnight. Fortunately there are a multitude of ways in which you can vastly improve the fuel efficiency of a vehicle so it can drive further on less fuel, emit fewer greenhouse gases and save you some money. Here are a few to get you started.
3. Get ready first, then go: How many times have you jumped into the car and realised your laptop or bag is still inside the house, then left the car idling while you fetch it? Plenty of times, it happens to us all. While you’ll never stop this from happening ever again, you can reduce the emissions by making sure you have everything you need before starting the engine.
4. Put your seatbelt on before starting engine: I read some time ago that on average we waste several hundred pounds / dollars (x2) of fuel by starting the engine and then putting on a seatbelt. Optimise your efficiency and maximise savings by securing your seatbelt first.
5. Improve MPG: Most road users don’t have a clue about how to look after their car never mind improving the Miles Per Gallon it can achieve. That sort of knowledge doesn’t need to remain within the car sub-culture. You can easily improve the MPG on any car by keeping tyres inflated to their manufacturer-specified pressure, employ steady acceleration and drive at a steady speed that requires fewer gear changes.
6. Don’t idle the engine: A modern car is designed to work efficiently as soon as it starts, so you don’t need to start the engine and let it warm up before you drive. Not even on cold winter mornings.
7. Smooth gear changes: shift up a gear when you hit 2500rpm for petrol cars and 2000rpm for diesel cars. Research indicates that a car travelling at 37mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear.
8. Turn off air con: A car engine generates enough pollution without having to power an onboard air conditioning unit. It might be hot outside, but if you want to be serious about protecting the environment you’ll just have to keep the air conditioning turned off! Need further impetus? You’ll save money by driving for longer because of improved fuel efficiency.
9. Don’t charge electricals off car battery: It might be convenient, but charging your iPod / mobile / laptop / whatever off the car battery greatly increases fuel consumption. Of course you’ll still indirectly generate emissions when charging electrical gadgets at home, but it is still more efficient than doing so in a car.
10. Drive with windows up: This sounds so trivial, but it has been proven to work. If you keep your windows up your car will be subject to less drag, which improves the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle. Therefore, cars driven with the windows up are proven to achieve much higher MPG.
11. Remove rook racks: If you have roof racks installed on your car, remove them. If you surf / ski / snowboard, stow the boards inside the car. Roof racks increase the car’s weight and reduce aerodynamic efficiency, which increases the amount of fuel burnt to power the car.
12. Service regularly: This one can’t be overstated enough. If you want to make sure that your car performs at peak efficiency then you’ll have to get it serviced on a regular basis. Get the oil checked, swap out the brakes, check the exhaust etc. The idea is that a well-kept car will consume less fuel, pump out fewer greenhouse gases and also last longer, which in the longterm helps the environment and your bank balance.
14. Alternative forms of fuel: Refuel your car with an alternative form of fuel such as biodiesel instead of diesel. It can be quite expensive in the short term but it is possible to refit your vehicle to run on gas, ethanol or used fats and vegetable oils. This tactic is especially good if the fuels are locally produced.
15. Use premium fuel: If it is not possible to change the type of fuel your car can run on to bio, purchase the more expensive but environmentally friendly premium petrols. While these are still produced from oil, they are more efficient and much cleaner.
16. Carpool: Organised carpooling with your co-workers has quite a few advantages. You actively reduce air pollution, increase outdoor air quality by having 1 car on the road instead of 4. Also, carpooling saves you money and everybody can do it - you might even form some new friendships. You can use a variety of tools online to arrange or find carpooling opportunities - especially on Facebook
17. Hybrid Options: Opt for a hybrid hire car on your next holiday. Not only will you be reducing emissions while you drive, but you will be sending a positive message to the car hire industry by your endorsement of the ‘green’ car. Plus, you get to test drive a hybrid and put it through the motions! Make a more substantial commitment and consider a new hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius or get one of the ultra efficient small cars such as Citroen C4.
Public Transport
It’s widely considered to be the holy grail of environmentalism, but it’s sadly not quite there yet. Governments take big back handers from the car lobbyists, so we shouldn’t expect the world’s public transport networks to get massively better any time. Of course, there are cities around the world where the local government has invested heavily in public transport infrastructure - but you probably don’t live near one. Here are a few ways to maximise the positive environmental impact of what public transport is available to you.
18. Bus: Public transport is rarely as good as it could be, but (where possible) using public bus transport is great way of getting about. Most towns and cities have adequate bus coverage. Furthermore, you won’t get lost just as easy when the driver knows where they’re going!
19. Tram: Many European cities such as Manchester, Dublin, Athens, Rome, Lisbon and Paris have extensive tram networks. In North America there are many cities with tram networks including San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Toronto. Count yourself lucky if you live in one these cities, trams are a great way of getting around.
20. Trains instead of planes: Many haven’t realised this yet but those good old trains emit much less pollution and can carry more passengers than aircraft. Using the train network is a viable option, especially if journeying city-to-city within Europe and places like Japan where the infrastructure is good and the trains are reliable. Also, there’s a saving on hassle because train travel can allow you to use your time to travel instead of standing in a queue at checkin or customs.
21. Subway: The list of cities in the Americas and Europe with mass rapid transport systems (both over and underground) is extensive. In most inner cities it is futile to try and drive anywhere so you might as well use public transport to get around. It just so happens that this is much more green. And it’s good to be green™.
Air Travel
It’s a fact of life that there are some trips where air travel is the only feasible way to get there, without taking up a large chunk of your precious time. However convenient air travel undoubtedly is, you should remember that during your trip hundreds of tons of damaging greenhouse gases are pumped out into the atmosphere. Scientific evidence suggests that the effects of distributing gases at 30,000ft+ are considerable. Here are a few tips to fly as green as possible.
22. Online instead of face to face: There are so many different online meeting solutions that let you chat, video conference, share and edit documents with presenters and delegates. These are so good that you can conduct business from your desk instead of flying. Of course there will be times when you simply must go and meet the person, but if every business could replace some flights with an online meeting things will start looking up for our shared environment.
23. Think about where you are going: Sure, you need a break on the beach. But do you have to fly to Egypt when you can catch a train to somewhere in France or Spain? For our American friends, why not vacation in Florida or North / South Carolina instead of the Caribbean? If you can choose a destination closer to home you might not need to fly at all and take the train instead.
24. Combine work and play: If you just have to attend a meeting somewhere overseas, why not book a few days off after the meeting and stay there for a week or so? That way you get the best of both worlds and you don’t have to fly as much, which will massively reduce your carbon footprint.
25. Carbon offset flights: Many airlines are waking up to carbon offsetting and passing some of the expense on to their passengers. If you are so inclined (and can afford it) you can pay a little extra for your flight and the airline will take your extra money and invest it directly into planting trees. Companies such as Treeflights exist in the UK to do just that, planting trees in Wales and Peru.
26. Travelling to the airport: Most hub and regional airports have good public transport links, which means you can catch the bus or train instead of driving to the airport and adding to your carbon footprint even more.
27. Pack light: Your luggage is weighed at checkin so that the amount of fuel needed for the flight can be calculated. Rudimentary mathematics suggests that when it comes to luggage and emissions, less is more.
28. Air travel ticketing: Simple, choose an electronic ticket rather than a paper ticket and thereby reduce the need for paper to be wasted.
Accommodation
When you are done travelling and you’ve arrived, keep up with your green habits. One of the biggest contributors to global warming is sloppy environmental practices at home, so you need to continue turning off lights and being good to the environment. This is especially important in poorer countries with underdeveloped infrastructure. You should remember that while your hotel has no shortage of water and electricity, the villagers nearby aren’t so fortunate.
29. Hotel: During your hotel stay, try not to waste energy unnecessarily by continuing what you perhaps already practice at home. You can do this by turning off the tv, switching all the lights off and turning the A/C or heat down where you go out. Also, you could opt for short showers and use your own toiletries instead of the small and usually over-packaged small hotel toiletries.
30. Stay green: There are lots of green hotels around the world. Why not stay somewhere that actively promotes the green lifestyle when you’re away?
31. Taking home memories: Avoid disposable cameras and bring your own digital camera. Like any other modern device which takes loads of energy to make and only get used once before being dumped, disposable cameras are rather wasteful.
Post from: Geek About
译文:
绿色旅行：31个小贴士 省钱又环保
当说到全球变暖的问题时，人们似乎都觉得个人的力量微不足道。相比于那些较小的微型计划，我们有多常听到政府和大公司进行大规模改变来减少二氧化碳的污染？我经常询问个人对环境的影响，发现只有当大家一起行动的时候才会产生真正看得到的变化。带着环保的心态去旅游，既省钱又减少你的二氧化碳足迹，这是完全有可呢个的。这里有一系列观点和技巧，把它们运用在你的生活里，省钱又环保，一举两得。
保护环境大可不必复杂昂贵又花时间。事实上，你可以努力改掉一些习惯，开始一个非比寻常的早晨。你要像平时喜欢健身那样去爱上环境。
1.只要有可能，就步行：首先以最简单的选择开始。别去哪都开车，一小段路就走走吧。很快你就会清楚地看到，不用汽车而是仅仅步行或骑自行车，对你自己和环境都有好处。你不仅可以在燃料和汽车日常保养费上省下钱，也对改善室外空气质量和降低道路拥堵起了很大的作用。
2.骑上你的自行车：你不可能永远步行到目的地。有时你会想也不想就想钻进汽车里搞定这些短途，不过最好还是跳上你的自行车。你会锻炼出肌肉，提高心血管健康，减少拥堵，而且实现零释放。
交通
我们也许会面对这样一个现实：我们生活在汽车文化里，这样的生活不会一晚上就改变。幸运的是，你有很多方法可以大大提高车辆燃料效率，这样车子就能用更少的燃料跑更远的路，排放更少的温室气体，节省你的开支。你可以从下列事情做起。
3.先准备好，然后出发: 多少次你在上车以后才发现笔记本电脑或包包还落在家里，然后你去取东西却让车子空转着？这肯定在我们所有人中发生了很多次。即使你无法避免这事再次发生，在发动引擎前确保每样东西都带齐了，你仍然可以减少排放。
4.绑好安全带再发动：不久前我读到一个数据，因为先发动汽车再系安全带，我们平均要浪费几百英镑/美元（x2）。通过保证先绑好安全带，你可以达到最佳的效率和节约。
5.提高MPG：大多数司机并不知道怎样保养自己的车和提高每加仑汽油可行驶公里数没有关系。在汽车次文化里，这些知识并不需要掌握。保持厂商指定的轮胎膨胀度，稳定加速，少用变速杆，用稳定的速度行驶都可以轻松
提高MPG。
6.别让引擎空转：现代汽车一旦发动就可以有效率地运转。所以你不需要在开车前先发动引擎来热身，即使在寒冷的冬天早晨也不需要。
7.平稳变速杆：当你的汽油车达到2500转/分，柴油车达到2000转/分时，换挡吧。研究表明，一辆时速37公里的车，在3档的时候要比5档多用25%的燃料。
8.关上空调：一辆车就算不开随车空调，也已经产生足够的污染了。室外也许很热，不过要是你真的想保护环境，你还是把空调关了吧！需要点动力？那就是，因为提高了燃料效率，你能省钱开更远的路程啦。
9.别用汽车蓄电池供电：这些许很方便，但是用汽车蓄电池给你的iPod，手机，笔记本电脑或其他东西充电会大大增加燃料消耗。当然在家充电也间接释放气体，但是比在车上充要有效率多了。
10.开窗驾驶：这听起来真是琐碎，但真的很有用。如果你开着窗，根据车辆空气动力学的外形，你的车受的
阻力较少。因此，开车窗的车被证明能达到更高的MPG。
11.移除行李架：要是你车里装了行李架，
搬走吧。如果你冲浪、滑雪，就把这些板装到车里去。行李架增加车子的重量，降低空气动力学功效，那会增加车辆燃烧的燃料量。
12.定期保养：这可一点也不夸张。如果你想确保你的车子达到最高使用率，那就定期做一下保养吧。检查机油，换个刹车，检查排气装置等等。原因是一辆保养得好的汽车消耗较少的燃料，释放较少的温室气体，使用寿命更长，这样可以在很长一段时间内保持环境和你银行帐户的平衡。
14.燃料种类替换：用诸如生物柴油之类的替换型燃料来代替柴油发动你的汽车。这在短期内比较昂贵，但它可能让你的车辆改用汽油、酒精或动植物油。要是这些燃料在地方上生产出来，这一策略尤其精辟。
15.选用质优价高的燃料：要是让你的汽车改用生物油不可行，就购买贵一点但是有利于环境的质优价高的燃料。虽然它们也是石油提炼出来的，不过它们更加有效率，也更卫生。
16.合用汽车：和你的同事有计划地合用汽车有很多好处。用一辆车取代四辆，你积极地减少了空气污染，提高了室外空气质量。同时，合用汽车节省了费用，每个人都能这么做——你也许还能交上点新朋友。你可以上网用各种工具来安排和寻找合用汽车的机会——特别是在
Facebook上
17.混租选择：下个
假期你就选择混租汽车吧。你不但在开车是减少了排放，通过对“绿色”汽车的认可，你也给汽车租赁业传达了一个积极的信息。另外，你试着驾驶一辆混租车，把这当成一种运动！更加诚实地承诺，考虑租一辆像
丰田普锐斯那样的崭新的混租车或者一辆像
雪铁龙C4那样超高效率的小车。
公共运输
这被广泛认为是环境保护论的圣杯，但很可惜还没实现。政府取消了对汽车说客们的鼎力支持，所以我们不该期待世界公共网络比以前有任何进步。当然，世界还是有这么一些诚实，当地政府花重资在公共运输的基础建设上——但你也许并不生活在它们附近。这里有一些方法可以将你身边公共运输对环境的积极影响最大化。
18.巴士：公共运输从来都比它该有的样子要差，但是（在一些可能的地方）使用公共汽车是个不错的方法。大多数的城镇都覆盖了足够的公共汽车。此外，因为巴士司机知道他们要去哪里，你不会迷路的。
19.有轨电车：很多欧洲城市，比如
曼彻斯特、
都柏林、雅典、罗马、里斯本和巴黎，都有广阔的电车网络。在北美，包括
旧金山、
匹兹堡和
多伦多在内的很多城市也都有电车网络。要是你生活在其中一个城市，那就太幸运了，坐电车四处观光真是太棒了。
20.坐火车，别坐飞机：很多人还没意识到这些优良的旧火车排放的污染气体要比飞机少得多，而且还能多载客。使用火车网络是很可行的，特别是欧洲内部的城市之间旅行或者是像日本那样基础建设优良和火车可靠的地方。另外，不容置疑，火车旅行让你把站着排队登记和入关的时间节省下来用来旅行了。
21.地铁：在
美洲和
欧洲的很多有大量快速运输系统（地上和地下）的国家。在大多数市中心，试着到处开车一点也没用，不如坐上公共交通工具来来回回。这是因为这样要环保的多得多。这几乎都能称为绿色物品了。
空中旅行
生活中确实有那么一些旅途只有靠飞机才能到达，不用占用你大量宝贵的时间。不管空中旅行的便利有多部不容置疑，你应该记住在你飞行的过程中，几百吨破坏性的温室气体被排放到大气中。科学证据证明在30,000英尺以上排放气体的影响相当巨大。这里有一些小贴士，让你尽可能飞得环保。
22.用上网取代面对面：有很多不同的线上会议方案可以让你们聊天、开视频会议、和推荐者与代表们一起分享和编辑文件。这些都可以让你在书桌前做生意而免去飞行的烦恼。当然有些时候你必须去见一个人，但是如果每单生意都能用线上会议来取代飞行，一切都向我们的共享环境更近了一步。
23.想一下你要去哪里：当然，你需要到海边休息休息。但是当你明明可以坐火车到法国或西班牙某个地方的时候，你一定要飞去
埃及吗？对我们的美国朋友来说，为什么不能用福罗里达或北/南卡罗来纳的假期来取代加勒比呢？如果你选择一个离家近一点的地方，你就不用飞来飞去了，只要坐火车就行了。
24.劳逸结合：如果你只是要去海外某个地方开个会，为什么不在会议结束后多定几天，在那里呆上一个星期呢？这样你就不用飞太多次，大大减少了二氧化碳足迹，对你对世界都是最好的。
25.碳素偏置飞行：很多航空公司都意识到碳素偏置法，把一部分开支算到乘客头上。如果你一定要坐飞机（而且你也负担得起）你可以为你的飞行多付一点钱，航空公司会把这部分钱投资到植树上。像英国
Treeflight那样的公司已经在这么做了，在威尔士和秘鲁植树。
26.坐车去机场：大多数集散中心和地区性机场都有很优良的公共运输链接，那就以为着你可以坐巴士或火星和去机场，而不用自己开车，那会增加你的碳素足迹。
27.轻装上阵：登记的时候你的行李要称重，来计算飞机飞行需要的燃料量。数学原理表明，行李和排放都是越少越好。
28：机票：很简单，选择电子票而不是纸质票，减少浪费的纸张。
住宿
当你旅行，到达某地的时候，保持你环保的习惯。去全球变暖的罪魁祸首之一就是在家的马虎行为，你应该继续关灯，关怀环境。在那些基础建设不发达的贫穷国家，这尤其重要。你应该记住，对然你的旅馆不会缺水断电，周围的村民可没这么幸运。
29.旅馆：呆在旅馆的时候，别像在家那样浪费不必要用的能源。出门的时候关上电视机、灯、空调和暖气。另外，你可以选择快读洗个澡，用自己的化妆品，而不是旅馆里提供的小包装化妆品。
30.住环保旅馆：世界上有很多
环保旅馆。离家的时候，为什么不住在那些可以积极促进环保生活方式的地方呢？
31.把记忆带回家：别用拍立得，带着你自己的数码相机。想其他花费大量能源却一次性的现代器械一样，拍立得相机是一种浪费。