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