You know, I go back to my environmental studies at the University tomorrow. And I will study air pollution. So, as I am a bit hyped over this, you get a piece of this;)

Every day on the commute, well any time we are out and about in the city,  we are exposed to several air pollutants. Ozone and particles are no brainers, as is smog and sooth. These pollutants go into our lungs, and can cause all kind of problems. Those with lung problems get the worst of it. Every year, lots of people die from this. The forest fires in Russia wreaked havoc among the sensitive people with all the particles and heat (not even going to touch all the collateral damage…). And in the rest of the world city air pollution are causing, or at least partitioning in the formation of asthma and heart problems. In some Asian cities people even use mouth protection, much like doctors, just to reduce the amount of particles they breath in.

Children have it worst, as they are breathing a higher volume of air/body weight, and with all the running and physical activity. Is this really something we want?

Not all air pollution has anthropogenic causes. Take Gothemburg as an example; we have some problems with traffic in certain areas, but also salt coming in from the Atlantic ocean. Still, as we exceed the maximum allowed levels of particles every year, air pollution is considered a big problem. With better cars and cleaner industry, sooth is less of a problem, but the increased driving is still causing an overall rise in air pollution in the developed world. And look at China… With hundreds of new cars on the road every day, they are going to have (even more) problems with dirty air before long.

Air pollution can be dampened by good asphalt and well constructed roads, as well as cleaner and better tires and vehicles. However as more cars and trucks are on the road, the levels still increase. The only real way to decrease this dangerous and potentially lethal pollution is to get people to drive less. Industry today is clean, or I should say not as dirty as it have been. They are not to blame for air pollution, at least not entirely. The amount of cars on the roads are though.

By changing your commute, you can participate in making our air cleaner and healthier. It could be your old mother, or child that get problems from excessive amounts of particles next. So take the bus, or train if you have a long way to work. Get other people to do it as well. Share the car with colleges in the morning and afternoon. Anything to reduce the amount of cars on the road. Check the tires, some are better then others.

Well, that’s it for today. Have a nice afternoon, commute greener and make sure to follow us on twitter and facebook

I’m off

Fredrik

So, how does my passion for surfing relate to green commuting? Well, most days it doesn’t.  I carpool or try to take the bus many days, but when I have an early meeting  or as Fredrik described earlier, the weather is just horrible – it can be so easy to just want to get to my destination as fast as possible (which usually isn’t by carpool, bike or bus).

But, when I step back and think about the bigger picture, there is really no better motivator for me than to just get a glimpse at what’s happening to our oceans.  It breaks my heart to read the all-too-many, horrific stories these days about the dangers facing marine wildlife. And, for me,  this is enough of a “hook” to convince me to consider green commuting a must.  I want to see a future where I can surf and still have the presence of dolphins around me, where I still feel the air move when a pelican takes a dive for a fish above my head.

I came across this short and inspiring animated film, which made me reflect again on why it is so important that each of us take a small step towards change.  So, take a look and let me know what is it that motivates and fuels you to change?

This is NOT a nice day for commuting. Gothenburg is suffering from one heck of a downpour, so bad that one could hardly see the ferry down at the harbour, about 100 meters from the office some moments ago… In other words; we got to be be prepared for a wet commute.

OK, am I going to write about the local weather today? Haven’t I got anything better to do?

No, not really

Well, rather I would like to discuss preparations. Commuting without a car takes preparations, like bringing an umbrella and a waterproof jacket.  Mass transit may require you to stand and wait in the rain for some time, so a full rain-proof suit is recommended. Yet, you still see MANY commuters that stand around trying to get into shelter from buildings, bus stops etc.

However, IF you do prepare some, a rainy commute is no problem at all. First of all; umbrellas offer lousy protection, no matter how big they are. I prefer to use a coat (and am really annoyed that I forgot it and brought the umbrella instead…) with a hood, as it offers better protection. Second; the seats are always wet on a day like this, so bring something to sit on during the commute. That is if you don’t like that “my butt is wet” feeling.

One thing that I cant stress enough is how important it is to handle the umbrella well on the transit. Wet and pointy things do not belong in peoples laps, or faces. Keep them on the floor, behind your feet.

A mass transit commute is kind of uninteresting to write about, its mostly common sense. A bike commute during rainstorms is MUCH funnier. Most people aim to drive or take the bus when the weather is like that. But some brave souls bike to work no matter the weather. And they have all kind of nice solutions. Umbrellas are not an option here, even if some brave (?) use them while cycling. However, rain-ponchos and rain-suits ARE. They are even really good. And it is a good investment as a good raincoat with matching trousers and a pair of rubber boots may always come in handy for dirty jobs around the house anyway.

But you also have to protect the bike from rust and/or frozen locks and gears. There are many anti-rust appliances out there, and some are even environment-compensated. That and some lock oil should always be close at hand for a bike commuter, as they help keeping the bike in good condition. Something to protect the saddle is also recommended. You can buy all kinds of fancy stuff for that purpose, but I simply use a plastic bag from the grocery store. After all, you have to get some use from it after bringing it home… And this is the most common method that I know of. Why buy something expensive when that useless bag is close by.

Another thing to think about is were you park the bike in this kind of weather… Indoor or under a roof is definitely preferable. Captain obvious strikes again

And remember to be careful in traffic. YOU have bad visuals when it rains, and drivers definitely have it too. Accidents can always happen, but with wet and slippery roads and bad visuals the risk is increased. Take it easy and be careful! And remember that a little rain is no reason to stop to Commute Greener!

That’s it for today! You have other tips and tricks for a safe and dry commute? Share them with us on facebook. We love to hear from you!

I’m off to write a rapport.

Fredrik

Part of what I do is to look for “green” trends online. I am sure you have guessed that if you have read some of my other stuff. And one thing that really strikes me is that bike commuting is getting more and more popular. It has been for a while actually. This is of course from an American perspective, as biking to and from work is quite natural here in Europe. This is a cultural difference, one that I think is derived from the fact that oil is quite expensive here. Like REALLY expensive. European children learn to ride a bike early, and constantly use it as a toy as well as a mode of transportation. So it is only natural to take the bike to school or work if the weather permits it.

I personally love this “new” trend. We should all take a bike-ride now and then, it is fun, good for you and cheep. And it is not hard to do, but as always; it takes some preparations to get ready. Like getting in tune with the traffic rules and regulations. I mean, COME ON! There is a reason why many drivers hate cyclists. I certainly do when I drive, and I am all for bike commuting in general. But I don’t know how many times a cyclist have just thrown him/herself in front of the car, nearly causing an accident. This happens because they;

1) Believe they are above the rules

2) They are sloppy and think that the motorist will see them and react in time

3) DON’T KNOW THE RULES

The last two seems to be very common. Drivers are not always 100% focussed on the road, and they can’t see everything. Many people shouldn’t even be allowed to drive. So accidents happen. On the other side, cyclists that are used to traffic and know how to behave is a joy to see. They rarely get into accidents, and city traffic on a bike isn’t even that dangerous if you are careful and respect the traffic rules.It helps if the city you are in has a good biking culture though, with good infrastructure.

As for all drivers out there; be careful! Cyclists are getting more and more common, and the “war” between them and drivers is getting tiresome to read about. If you see a cyclist in a bike lane, give him some space. Don’t park in bike lanes, and don’t pretend they have no right being there. It is silly,  selfish and result in all kind of arguing. I mean, there are even some cyclists that have gone as far as to attach a miniature camera  to the bike so they can tape the arguments and brutal behaviour of some drivers. Drivers are certainly not evil, but you too need to know the rules and how to behave around cyclists too.

Puh, that was a long diversion… But probably necessary.

So if you want to try a bike commute, and know the rules, what do you do then? Do you have to have an expensive bike and those silly florescence clothes? Well, no. Just hop on the god old bike you have in the garage. After checking the breaks of course. And that is why I love this trend. Everyone can do it. But some good equipment helps if you are making it a habit. A good bike, a comfortable helmet (I don’t care if it looks silly and ruins the hair, use it!), a water bottle and a good bag are all things that is worth spending money on. And there are huge amounts of blogs, networks, organisations and such available on the internet. Check it out and start gathering zero emission kilometres/miles!

By the way, you know the drill; visit us at facebook, and twitter, and feel free to ask questions or give us feedback on the blog, the website or the program itself!

I’m off

Fredrik

You know, I realised something today when i was looking through the blog. I have written much about habits, attitudes and different modes of transportation, but only mentioned ridesharing/carpooling. Silly of me… so here goes;

Picture this; you live in the suburbs, and bicycle and walking is out of the question as work is to far away or there are no roads were you can walk/cycle. The bus MIGHT be an option, but it is only scheduled for once an hour. So driving is the only option, and buying a new smaller car is to expensive. So how to green the commute? There is always a big chance that a neighbour commute in the same direction, right? After all, when you live in the suburb you usually work closer to the town centre, or in some big industry complex. There are probably more then one neighbour that work at the same company, or in a close location. So why not share a ride?

First of all, being social is not a bad thing. You get to know people and who knows; you might even have more in common then you thought. The commute becomes more bearable, and you will probably save some  money as you can take tours on whose car you use. AND you save CO2. If you are four persons in the car, and it emit 120 g CO2/km, you can divide that by four. 30 g/km is a lot less, right?

The downside is that you lose the freedom to just hop in and drive home whenever you want. If you work at different companies, or have slightly different work hours, it might be a problem. But I know people who do it, and it works well for them. It just take some planing.

Not all ridesharing have to be done with family members or neighbours. There are a lot of different ride-share initiatives going on all around the world. From the Swedish Skjutsgruppen to RideAlong in India to Carpoolworld… Easy to find with a simple Google search. Even Slugging may be an option, even if I find that one a bit… fishy. Be careful if you take THAT option…

OK, that was ride-sharing. What about carpools? Say that the mass transit IS an option, and you live closer to the centre of the city. Do you really need to OWN a car? Do you HAVE to use it every day? In Gothenburg and some other cities, carpools have become more common. You pay a monthly fee and can book a car for whenever you need it. After all, most car journeys are under five kilometres. If you don’t own the car and make it more inconvenient you plan more and use other modes of transport.

So you see, you can be green and still drive. Cars and their drivers aren’t evil, it is part of the culture. The last part need to change though, and this might be a good stepping stone. I might add that you should use eco-driving though. Makes the fuel consumption lower and save money and CO2.

That’s it for today. Have a nice weekend and Commute Greener!

I’m off

Fredrik

You know, health is something one should talk about more often when addressing environmental problems. Everyone isn’t like the sporty boys/girls that exercise and are active 24/7. And it is just so easy to visualise, after all, when you can’t see your toes any more, you have a problem. But if you can’t, you probably drive more, as you are out of shape. Carbon Dioxide and climate change, were the effects take years to see and happens on the other side of the world is a bit harder to see.

One of our readers passed us a link on the topic of obesity and environmental problems. It is quite sad reading, but something that shows some major problems of today. Sure, the blog post IS aimed at the USA, but we are guilty in Europe to, and the rest of the world as well. The main points are:

1) We are getting fatter. This is true in north America as well as the rest of the world.

2) We rely more and more on our cars for transportation

3) As we get fatter, bigger cars become more popular, not as a status symbol but because they are spacier.

4) Big cars have generally a higher fuel consumption, and with more driving and heavier cars + loads; do the math. The answer is CO2 emissions on the rise, as well as weight problems with all the following complications.

This raises an interesting question in my opinion. Is it possible to use health campaigns to stave off global warming? Probably not, who like it when someone tells you that you are fat and need to diet. Health campaigns are a good thing, very good actually, but I don’t think they have that good reach.

But still, if we could get people to drive less, some major health problems could be dampened. So in other words, join a bike challenge, or challenge your family, friends and co-workers. 30 minutes of bicycling to work is not much time but in the long run you get so much healthier. And by teaching your children to take the bike you keep them in shape and create healthy habits.

But we all know that getting a motorist to take the bike, or ride the bus can be difficult. And then we are back to challenges and creative thinking. Or “bribes” and rewards. Whatever does the job.

Even taking the mass transit can have positive health effects, as a ten minute walk to the bus stop is much better then driving from door to door. So try it out.

And while you do, take some pictures and send to us, or upload them on our facebookpage. And be sure to follow us on twitter as well. And remember to Commute Greener!

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Fredrik

Everyday on my way home, I see long lines of cars with a single person in them. They move at very slow speed, 10-20 km/h at most and are constantly starting and stopping. This is what makes the commute the worst part of the day for so many people. And I know you have been exposed to this as well.

While those drivers slowly crawl toward their homes, buses, trams and other means of public transportation drive by them in special lanes. The public transit is warmer, noisier and crowded, but also faster in this situation. But for some reason people still choose to commute by car.

Of course, I look at it from a North European point of view. Gothenburg have a good public transit system with special lanes for buses and for bicycles. Real time updates on when the bus/tram will arrive is a natural thing. It is easy to promote non car alternatives in those circumstances. But even in places with less developed transit systems it is often possible to switch to a bus commute.

Do you remember when I discussed commute chains?. Lets repeat the concept. If you calculate the time and cost of driving from point A to B, and then calculate the time and cost of taking the bus to the train station, hopping on to a train and so on, and compare those to to taking the bike to the train/bus station, you might be surprised to find that little time is lost, but time for work and/or relaxation and exercise is added. Sounds complicated? It only takes two minutes with Commute Greener!

One of the benefits of doing this kind of calculation is that it shows how much time is spent idly sitting in the car while waiting for the line to start moving. That is after all a huge source of stress, especially in cities with long commutes and vast amount of traffic. Perhaps it is possible to cycle to the bus station, and take a bus from there?

The bottom line is that something have to be done to reduce traffic jams during rush hour. Public transportation is one area with large potential for improvement, if only the politicians and city planers understand that more roads for more cars is like pouring gasoline on the fire. If more people used mass transit, and commute chains became a more common subject, we might even raise awareness about environmental, health and wealth benefits of a public commute.

Well, that’s all for today. Have a nice day, follow us on twitter and facebook, watch us on youtube and use the new facebookapp.

By the way, vacation time have started here in Sweden, so there will not be as many updates for a while. Have a nice summer everyone!

I’m off

Fredrik

I found a very interesting article about acid rain today. Do you remember when I wrote about NOx, and mentioned acid rain? This little problem, that have fallen from the spotlight have crawled its way up into the debate again.

Time to harp on drivers again! No, I’m kidding. But CO2 aside, transportation is a huge source of pollution. Particles, NOx, sulphur (mostly from ships) and runoff can do nasty things to our beloved environment. Acid rain is one of those things. It works like this:

Acid rain picture from Wikipedia Commons

In the 70′s and 80′s, sulphur was the main villain. Three-way-converters (a Volvo innovation by the way)  became more common in cars, and NOx from transportation was thought to be more or less a non-issue. (And that is why the picture don’t show it as a contributor, but the principle is the same.) Coal power plants got strict regulations on sulphur emissions, as did petrol manufacturers. So, problem solved, right?

Well, no. We still had the problem of fertilizers, one of the dirtiest but most important parts of the green revolution. And no, I don’t mean the wave of eco-friendliness that moves like a tsunami over the internet right now. I mean agriculture wave during the 50′s that is still in progress today… Fertilizer leak nitrogen via runoff from fields and through vaporising. And it is the biggest contributor to acid rain there is. This is old news, and lots are being done to change this.

The second biggest contributor to acidification used to be coal plants, but with the vast number of vehicles that are on the roads today it is no surprise that transportation have taken that place. Vehicles today are much cleaner and more effective than old ones, but there are a significantly higher number of cars and trucks on the roads today. You can see where I am going with that argument.

What is so bad about acid rain then? Well, excessive acidification damages plants, and may destroy sensitive limnic (freshwater) ecosystems. Acid lakes contain little life, and many types of trees can’t grow in acid soil. In urban areas acid rain damages concrete buildings and wither stonework. Take a look at an old statue that have been exposed to acid rain… not a pretty sight:

Damaged by acid rain

And as of late, the acidification of the oceans have become a focus in the environmental debate. I must admit that I don’t know enough to comment on this, but it does sound scary…

But what do we do about this problem? Well, I’m no scientist, and even if I was I wouldn’t have the answer. Many things play a part here, as in every subject of environmental science. However, we will have to stop our excessive driving. Telecommuting (ie working from home), public transportation, new infrastructure to let bike riders commute safely, etc will play a huge role in coming to terms with many problems. But it is not a total solution. There is no complete solution that I know of yet. Feel free to link to any research to prove me wrong, as I am always looking for things like that.

But once again, you who use Commute Greener!, and everyone that choose public transportation or zero emission alternatives are playing a part for a better environment. Not only are you helping the reduction of the worlds carbon emissions, you are helping the reduction of acidification (the result of acid rain) and many different things. You can feel proud of yourselves!

I hope you have found this interesting. I did! Remember to follow us on twitter and facebook and to Commute Greener!

I’m off for today

Fredrik

This Monday, I went of on a rant about transportation, campaigns and some other stuff. Today, I red an article at grist.org. It is about the rather pessimistic tone the environmental debate have taken in USA, were the “left” wing present ideas to solve environmental problems and the right wing shoots them down, in the name of the market. This is a very simplified picture of course. And I am sure it isn’t totally like this in USA.

But it does raise a couple of new questions that I have touched before. The government need to understand that the car isn’t sacred, and that mass transit actually is a good thing. The car isn’t sacred, as the Michael Linds article that the Grist article was based on seems to assume. It is true that rich countries have a higher density of cars, as people can afford them. Does that mean that public transportation isn’t an option in the future, especially in urban areas? And the reason many drive to work from the suburbs is 1) habit and 2) lack  of descent mass transit systems. So when new suburbs are built, make sure there are bus-lines! Trains may be expensive, but buses use the same infrastructure as the rest of the traffic. This is how it is done in Sweden, at least in cities that think ahead.

Michael Lind is right on one thing though… Asphalt may not be exciting, but new and low particle emitting asphalt is something to pay out for. It reduces wear and tear on the road, noise, particles and lowers fuel consumption, and thereby CO2 and NOx…
But the bottom line is that there have to be an attitude shift. I have said that before, haven’t I. Both from the politicians point of view and from the people. I am not talking about USA here, but in general. While the European governments are less conservative and are more keen on discussing CO2, there is still to much discussion and to little action. And climate denialists and traditionalists exist here to. The difference is that religion is less of an issue in the politic game in Europe and the climate model is the norm. I am not going to harp about religion being bad, because in itself there is nothing wrong with being religious. Hiding behind it or using the argument “god wants it” is a bit medieval though, right?

Ok, I got sidetracked again… Sorry. Attitude shifts… I really think that the conservative wing, regardless of continent view environmentalists as smug, self righteous, smug hippies. And there are many of them around. You know who you are! Many seems to hate cars, or even development. But is this how most people who work with environmental issues are. Is this how most interested persons out there are? Once again, to much focus is placed in the wrong places. Get serious and see opportunities instead of sticking the head in the sand. So much could be done for the environment if one started to look for opportunities. Wind and solar power and publit transportation are some of those opportunities. In Europe, they have expanded. Why haven’t they in North America? With the oil-spill, declining amount of fossil fuels, climate change, thinning glaciers and disturbed weather, it is time to open our eyes!

Well, I’m off. I have some statistics to finish. Have a nice one, and remember to follow us on facebook and twitter, and to Commute Greener!

/

Fredrik

It’s been a while since I wrote about environmental problems. Ranting is just more fun, especially at the end of the day. But while writing yesterday, I realised I have forgotten one of the more important but obscure environmental problems; VOC’s. This is why I love environmental issues; there are always more angles to look at, and more contributing factors.

Ok, what the heck is a VOC? Yep it’s another of those funny letter-codes that no one gets. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. These compounds come from MANY sources. Natural VOC like turpentine come from pine trees while common anthropogenic sources are paint, fuel, printers (the ink) building material and combustions. This group of substances is as varied as a high school, and just as unruly. The VOC group include everything from carbon monoxide and turpentine to formaldehyde and pesticides. The only common ground is that they have a carbon base and mix with the air in gaseous form. Many VOCs are carcinogenic like benzene and carbon compounds are a part of the smog-build up chain. So we need to take it seriously, don’t you agree. Added to that most chemicals we use in day to day life and in industry emit VOCs during use and storage and we have a problem. Even dry products like impregnated wood and furniture release a steady stream of organic compounds.

VOC’s are an environmental problem, but mostly in an indoor environment. Malls and buildings with indoor parking spaces can have high levels of benzene. During my studies, some students tested benzene levels in one of Gothenburg’s largest malls with adsorbent tubes and air pumps. The levels were higher then it should have been as air got filtrated down from the garage on the third floor.

(Fun story from this survey; if I remember correctly, there were some very funny readings when the first tube was analysed… it turned out that a random junkie had decided to smoke under the equipment, and I’m not talking about tobacco here. I wish was there to see the students faces when they saw TBC on the analysis results).

Truth to be told, VOCs are unavoidable. When we drive, take the bus, ride a bike, or were clothes we contribute to the emissions of VOCs. But much is being done for cleaner air. One example is that PFOS (a substance used as fire retardant) is being phased out.Fire retardants in general are developed to release as little as possible now, but there have been a huge increase in flame-proof clothing, furniture and machinery…

By using public transportation we can reduce a number of environmental problems, but this is one we will never be totally free from. And most of them do no real harm to humans anyway. You need a high and long term exposure to benzene to get cancer, or develop other problems. Smog is another issue that need to be addressed, but it is more common to approach that issue from the NOx angle.

I hope you have found this interesting. If you want more information, check out US EPA, they have good information about VOC and a number of other subjects. And if you have questions, feel free to ask here or at facebook or twitter.

I’m off to lunch!

Fredrik