Carpool or use the inter-campus shuttle to get to meetings.
Welcome to Week 44 of 50 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Line. Last week, we encouraged you to take home any waste or recycling you are unsure about discarding at work.
This week, as we look at ways to reduce waste and decrease the carbon footprint when it comes to meetings, we challenge you and your colleagues to carpool or even use the inter-campus shuttle.
One Thing You Can Do:
At the base level, carpooling to meetings at another campus or location makes an immediate impact by reducing carbon emissions: one car with two people instead of two cars each carrying one person instantly halves the gasoline consumed; put four people in one car and you are now consuming only one-quarter of this non-renewable resource, not to mention all of its constituent emissions and by-products of production.
But, at a deeper level, the environmental effects go much further than that. Think about wear-and-tear on a vehicle—fluids, filters, tires and so on—with every accumulated kilometre. All those consumables have also been reduced thanks to carpooling. Think about one, or two or three fewer cars on the road and how in some small way that affects traffic flow and wear-and-tear on the roads, and less heat added to the air. These are all little things, but they are tangible things, and they all add up.
Here are 5 facts about how car-pooling saves more than just gas. Or if scientific methodology and detailed analysis are what it will take to convince you, this article on the Environmental Effects of Carpooling may be enough to move you to action.
Carpooling Bonuses: Did you notice, in the first link, that you can use the HOV lane when carpooling? Plus, with someone to chat with, the trip will probably feel a lot quicker. Oh, and if by chance you haven’t fully prepared for that meeting you are driving to, carpooling is a great opportunity to chat interactively with your colleagues ahead of time. Make it a fun outing: stop for coffee on the way… but walk-in instead of going to the drive-thru, and don’t forget your reusable mugs!
If you want to be greenest of the green, try out the inter-campus shuttle to get you back and forth. With a little advance planning it can work! The shuttle is available to all students and staff by showing a valid OneCard when you board. Details and schedule at:
https://www.sheridancollege.ca/life-at-sheridan/campus-services/inter-campus-shuttle.aspx
