By Kelli Best-Oliver •
September 17, 2008
Gas costs have skyrocketed, and with them, the cost of flying. This greenie isn’t 100% upset: with the cost of fuel increasing exponentially in the past few years, people are examining their transportation patterns and needs and trying to find cost- and fuel-effective methods of getting from Point A to Point B. Smaller, more fuel-efficient cars are selling well, and ridership on public transit is up. But for many Americans, particularly those in smaller cities and towns, public transit is non-existent. For those living anywhere but the East Coast, Amtrak is slow, unreliable, or non-existent. We’re a country for whom the cost of cheap fuel has promoted individual car use to the detriment of other forms of transportation.
This may not be a newsflash for some, but higher gas prices are causing Americans to drive significantly less. For the first half of 2008, 30 billion less miles were traveled by car than in 2007. Mass transit, bicycling, car pooling, and even horses (in my community at least) are making a come back to help Americans save money at the pump.
Via: 7Gen Blog
Chicago-based Megabus.com is giving away 100,000 free seats on its bus routes between Jan. 16 and March 11, 2008, to encourage people to reduce their carbon emissions.
By Sarah Lozanova •
November 8, 2007
Chicago’s Mayor Daley declared that the city will be the “greenest city in the world.” This is no small feat. One tool towards achieving this goal is a new green permit program, which offers expedited building permits for buildings with environmental features. The building permit process is shortened to 15-30 business days, with preference given to projects with more extensive green features. Some buildings may qualify for [...]
By Sarah Lozanova •
November 1, 2007
Chicago is bracing itself for November 4th, the day when significant cuts will take effect for the Chicago Transit Authority. Thirty nine bus routes will be cut, fares will be raised to as much as $3, and roughly 600 workers will be laid off. This will be an opportunity to examine just what service public transportation provides.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley certainly appreciates the importance of mass transit. "To me,
[...]
Gas costs have skyrocketed, and with them, the cost of flying. This greenie isn’t 100% upset: with the cost of fuel increasing exponentially in the past few years, people are examining their transportation patterns and needs and trying to find cost- and fuel-effective methods of getting from Point A to Point B. Smaller, more fuel-efficient cars are selling well, and ridership on public transit is up. But for many Americans, particularly those in smaller cities and towns, public transit is non-existent. For those living anywhere but the East Coast, Amtrak is slow, unreliable, or non-existent. We’re a country for whom the cost of cheap fuel has promoted individual car use to the detriment of other forms of transportation.
