Opt for more sustainable transportation when possible.
Welcome to Week 48 of 50 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Line. Last week, we encouraged you to save energy by clearing out unused items before leaving for vacation. This week, we want to provide tips to reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to commuting – we challenge you and your colleagues to walk, bike, or use public transit.
What Can You Do?
Everyone has to commute to get to one location to another and taking a car to drive everywhere has a large footprint on our planet. In order to reduce your carbon emissions, we can look at different options for commuting such as walking, riding a bike, or taking public transit.
Walking
Walking has many benefits to your body, such as refreshing your mind, boosting your immune system, relieving stress and tension, improving digestion, working your muscles, and the list goes on! If you have any errands nearby, you could try walking there. Call up a buddy to walk with you and enjoy a nice conversation.
Biking
This is a fast and efficient way to get around. Haven’t been riding for awhile? Start by going on a leisurely ride with friends or family around the neighbourhood. Bike maps are a great tool to use when route planning. Bike maps can be found at your local community centre or library. You can also check out online resources, they will vary depending on the region you live in. See below for links to the Mississauga, Brampton, and Oakville bike maps.
Riding to campus is a great way to commute and to fit in some exercise. Live too far to commute the whole way by bike? Many modes of public transportation offer ways to bring your bike with you! Worried about being smelly for work? Don’t sweat it, there are shower facilities on campus.
HMC: staff shower room located in basement of A-Wing Room AB034/AB036
Davis: Athletic Centre if you have a membership
Trafalgar: Athletic Centre if you have membership; or B-Wing basement by Parking services located in the men’s/women’s washrooms.
Public Transit
Public transit can be looked at like a big carpooling service. Instead of 60 or 1,944 cars on the road all those people can fit onto ONE bus or train respectively. This is an alternative to reduce your carbon emissions along with reducing the amount of traffic on the roads. Some other benefits of commuting by transit are that you have free hands to: enjoy time to yourself, read a book, listen to a podcast, take a nap, talk to someone, knit….be creative!
Mississauga Map: https://www.mississaugabikes.ca/cycling-map/
Brampton Map: https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/Roads/Cycling/Documents/maps/2018-Cycling-Map.pdf
Oakville Map (Interactive): https://maps.oakville.ca/gxmaps/Default.aspx?map=map04&extent=605750.50520701,4813184.91503683,606793.49479299,4813773.08496317
