Comments on: Discovering Green Alternatives to Driving http://www.toonaripost.com/2012/04/green-world/discovering-green-alternatives-to-driving/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=discovering-green-alternatives-to-driving Grassroots Journalists, Bloggers and Experts capture and report news from around the world. Become a citizen journalist with Toonari Post today! Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:38:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: orbit7er http://www.toonaripost.com/2012/04/green-world/discovering-green-alternatives-to-driving/#comment-5875 orbit7er Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:40:40 +0000 http://www.toonaripost.com/?p=42734#comment-5875 Green Transit is the MOST important change we can make in the age of Peak Oil and Climate Change.
However it is NOT an individual decision but requires concerted political activism. Train, lightrail and bus schedules are determined by shrinking government budgets and over 150 Green Transit systems in the US have been cut or faced fare hikes since 2008. Green Transit is actually cheaper to operate
than highways but the Auto/Oil/Sprawl lobby in league with Paving contractors do not want to move away from cars and pressure politicians to waste over $140 Billion on roads and road expansion.
Unless people DEMAND Green public transit which could also cut their personal transportation costs by 50% as in Europe, then politicians will listen to the huge Auto/Oil/Sprawl lobbies. For instance in New Jersey Gov Christie increased some fares by 60% while increasing highway expansion 12% and axing the tunnel to NYC which is desperately needed. No surprise that 3 of the biggest contributors to Gov Christie “Reform Jersey Now” PAC were highway paving companies!

]]> By: steve from virginia http://www.toonaripost.com/2012/04/green-world/discovering-green-alternatives-to-driving/#comment-5865 steve from virginia Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:08:37 +0000 http://www.toonaripost.com/?p=42734#comment-5865 Karen, you should do some more research before suggesting that ‘high speed’ or electromagnetic bullet trains do not leave a carbon footprint. Ditto w/ hybrid or electric buses.

Trains and buses are powered by electricity that is generated by fossil fuels or nuclear fission. Fission electricity has a large carbon footprint because the reactor fuel requires mining, processing and shipment. Nuclear reactors are among the most energy-intensive of all construction projects, similar to a freeway network. The entire electric grid is petroleum dependent. Furthermore, high speed rail is aerodynamically inefficient as the resistance of the train is greater than a ‘regular speed’ train.

Trains and streetcars – yes.

Buses – no

Nuclear reactors – no

High-speed rail – no.

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