EcoLiving Ideas

By Amelia Apfel on Mar 31, 2009

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Almost everyone gets on a plane at some time or another. That business trip, the winter vacation to Florida, the last-minute tickets to a college friend's wedding – most of us can’t avoid flying once in a while. Yet in opting for fast transportation, we greatly increase our toll on the environment. A round-trip plane flight between New York City and LA adds about 2,375 pounds of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, and emissions at a higher altitude may be even more damaging than those released at ground level.

If it is possible, avoid flying and travel by other methods instead. Trains and buses are often just as convenient if you are traveling a relatively short distance, and their impact is much less. If you must fly, remember to consider the impact of your travel to and from the airport in addition to the actual flight. If at all possible, take public transportation, carpool, or rent a hybrid. Some cities even have green taxi fleets.

Before buying your ticket, quickly research your airline--- some airlines do more than others to be environmentally friendly, such as flying fuel-efficient planes or recycling service items.

When you plan a trip, buy carbon offsets, from a site such as TerraPass or Native Energy. They will invest your money in renewable energy projects, and they have convenient calculators that tell you exactly how much CO2 your trip will generate.

Finally, try and take as many nonstop flights as possible, since landing and takeoff are the most energy-intensive segments of any flight.