sustainable transportation travelling light: environmentally friendly transportation
TRANSCRIPT
Sustainable Transportation
Travelling Light:
Environmentally Friendly Transportation
Canadians and Their Cars
• Spend a lot of time• Some up to 4 hours per day• Mostly sitting in traffic• Waste of resources and source of pollution• “no other activity produces more
atmospheric smog and climate-altering carbon dioxide than driving”
• Almost 1/3rd of all air pollution in Canada is from cars
Canadians and their Cars Cont.
• 30% of air pollution in Canada is from motor vehicles
• Fuel efficiency has declined over the last 20 years
• SUVs and trucks have dramatically increased
• Less fuel efficiency standards
Car Exhaust
• Contains many pollutants
• Millions of tonnes are put into the atmosphere every year
• Contribute to climate change
• Many believe it contributes to thousands of deaths in Canada/US each year
“Contributions” to the air from Cars
• Exhaust Pollutant• Carbon Dioxide – linked to global climate
change• Carbon Monoxide – From the incomplete
combustion of hydrocarbons in fuel. Highly toxic to plants and animals.
• Sulphur dioxide - A potent greenhouse gas, toxic to organisms. Contributes to acid rain.
• Hydrocarbons - From spilled fuel and fuel in exhaust. Poisonous to plants and Contributes to global climate change.
“Contributions” to the air from Cars Cont.
• Lead oxide - Present in some transportation notably diesel. Highly toxic, linked to nerve brain damage in children.
• Benzene - From spilled fuel, and incompletely burned fuel in exhaust. A known cancer-agent.
• Soot - Tiny particles of carbon. Contributes damage, allergies, some forms of cancer.
• Nitrous and nitric oxide - Produced when from the atmosphere reacts with oxygen combustion. Contributes to smog and acid
…more than just pollution
• Transportation goes beyond just air pollution and climate change
• Roads and highways take up land• In Canada – more land devoted to
roads/highways• Includes parks, schools, residences,
commercial buildings and hospitals• Land can no longer support vegetation or
crops
Environmental Impacts – Manufacturing Cars
• Mining of metals• Manufacture of plastics,
rubber, paints, chemicals, other substances
• Badly polluted lands/lakes/rivers next to automobile plants
• Same with scrap yards
Going Green
Moving Towards Sustainable Transportation
What is Sustainable Transportation?
• “Sustainable transportation concerns systems, policies, and technologies. It aims for the efficient transit of goods and services, and sustainable freight and delivery systems. The design of vehicle-free city planning, along with pedestrian and bicycle friendly design of neighbourhoods is a critical aspect for grassroots activities, as are telework and teleconferencing”– http://www.gdrc.org/uem/sustran/sustran.html
Solutions!!
• We know about many of the problems
• What are some solutions?
Driving less
• Studies show most Canadians drive short distances
• 20 Km or shorter• Reduce by using bicycles
or walking• Families can reduce their
use of vehicles by 1/3rd by using these methods
• Save money from fuel use and repairs
Better Urban Planning
• Redesign cities• Provide better quality
residential areas closer to where people work
• More accessible parks, shops, grocery stores
• Better transit system
Cleaner Cars
• Many choices for fuel efficient cars
• i.e.- Volkswagen Jetta TDI – diesel engine
• Less than 5 litre / 100km • Hybrid engines
combine gas powered engines and electric motors
• Gas runs only when necessary
Renewable Energy for Transportation
• Three different types:– Hydrogen– Biodiesel– Wind
Hydrogen
• One of the most promising
• “Hydrogen Fuel Cell”
• Device that combines pure hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity with no pollution
• Electricity is used in electric motors that drive the wheels
• Quiet, pollution free
Hydrogen Cont.
• Cells themselves do not emit pollution
• Making the hydrogen does!
• Hydrogen is made from natural gas
• The process releases carbon dioxide
• Soon, when it can be made from solar or wind power it will be truly clean
Biodiesel
• Regular diesel is made from petroleum, a non renewable resource
• “Biodiesel” is made from oil grains, like canola• Take used vegetable oil from fast food
restaurants, filter it, treat it with chemicals, separate it.
• Smells like French fries• Renewable resource if the crops are grown
sustainably
Wind Power
• Wind turbine power
• “C-train” in Alberta is wind-powered
• Does not use coal, oil, natural gas
In Conclusion
• Until we can properly use only renewable energy to power our cars we will have to live with the pollution
• There are ways to reduce the need– Greater use of carpooling and public transit– Live closer to stores and work– Use bicycles and non motorized transportation– Plan communities that maximize green spaces, and
place residences close to stores and work