posted Jul 13, 2009, 12:23 AM by Adrian Koit
[
updated Jul 13, 2009, 8:39 PM
]
Green Carbon is proud to support and promote Carpool
Day 2009 happening in Auckland on
Wednesday August 5, 2009. We believe that these types of grass root initiative
are key if we are to make an impact and permanently change the status quo.
Purely from a climate change perspective, even if this only removes 1,000 cars off the
daily workers commute, that would be over 880 tonnes of CO2 emissions less per
year *. For context, roughly 154,000 vehicles cross the Auckland harbour bridge
every day.
If you live in Auckland and
want to make a difference, make your pledge now. It's super simple, so have a go and
have fun.
Why
Carpool?
If you're an
Aucklander, then you know, like the rest of Auckland, that there are too many
cars on the road, and for many of you, public transport is not a viable option.
You also know that the situation is not likely to improve any time soon. Guess
what? There is an alternative. And it's not even that hard! For one day, you can
try out making a difference to the Auckland traffic situation and to your
pocket. On Wednesday August 5, 2009, the first ever Carpool Day will be
happening in Auckland. Why don't you come and be part of
it?
Spread the
word - how to get others involved!
Carpool Day
2009 is a chance for all Aucklanders to have a go at carpooling
and really make a difference to our traffic issues for a day. Here are some tips
to get others involved:
- Tell all your friends
and family about Carpool Day, when it is and how to pledge. Talk about the
benefits of carpooling (we have some key points to refresh your memory below)
and how Carpool Day is a "Have A Go" day.
- Send an email to all
your friends and family about Carpool Day. Sample email available
- Your workplace may
have a person or committee who oversees environmental issues - contact them and
tell them about Carpool Day. They will be able to promote Carpool Day at
work.
- Tell your workmates
about Carpool Day and how to go about pledging to carpool.
- Print off the Carpool
Day poster and put it up at work.
- Contact
the Carpool Day team and become part of our volunteer network - help us make
Carpool Day a huge success!
Carpooling
Benefits
The benefits of
carpooling are many, but some that are most often reported
include:
- Savings — in some
cases dramatic — on the costs of commuting
- A faster and less
stressful journey by using the the T2/T3 transit (carpool) lanes
- Less wear and tear on
your vehicle
- Less stressful
commuting/less driving
- Reduced traffic
congestion and fuel consumption
- Helping to keep the
air clean **
- Unexpected benefits
like making new friends and keeping more consistent work
hours
The
Inspiration and the Team
Sarah Painter. I’m the one who came up with
the crazy idea of having Carpool Day! I’m seriously passionate about the
environment and always have been. Every day I’m on the look-out for ways to be
greener and ways to make it easier for others to do so too. I really believe
that every little thing we do to help the environment makes a difference –
including carpooling on Carpool Day.
Following suit
are
Sandy
McGivern
Arwen
Vant
Ian
Lightbody
Roger
Woodroofe
Jane
Clark
and
growing...
Read more about the team of volunteers here.
Sharing your stories or getting involved.
Sarah & her team are inviting people to share any carpooling stories you have before Carpool Day - have
you tried carpooling before? What happened? They are looking for funny or inspiring
stories to publish in their next newsletter. Send it now.
If you or your business want to get involved, I am sure Sarah and her team would love to hear from you.
* Calculation based
on:
- Average driving
distance of 11,000 km per year with 1/3 related to work. (source, MoT: Household
Travel Survey v1.2 Revised May 2007)
- Emissions factors for
default vehicle (source, MfE: Guidance for voluntary, corporate greenhouse gas
reporting, Data and Methods for the 2007 Calender Year).
** Some
statistics:
-
Emissions
from vehicle exhausts contain carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, all of
which are greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Approximately 16 per cent
of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from road transport
(MfE, 2008)
-
There are
other emissions which are not deemed GHG but are certainly unhealthy. These
include Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and Sulphur dioxide (SO2). In
Auckland, motor vehicles contribute to the majority of CO (84%) and NOx (80%). (MfE Auckland
1993 inventory).
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