Efficiency has become the buzz word for redesigning equipment to use less energy. This is all well and good, but making new equipment still uses resources. The other aspect of efficiency, that gets much less attention, is changing how we use existing equipment, to get the maximum benefit for minimum energy input. This is the golden side of efficiency - it uses fewer resources, can be introduced much faster and generally saves a lot of money too.
Liftshare is a social enterprise that helps individuals to travel more sustainably by sharing their journey. Over 310,000 people have already joined the liftshare network and every day around 40,000 fewer car trips are made by our members. Tuesday June 9 is National liftshare Day and we are encouraging everyone to give car-sharing a go.
This oversight is particularly prevalent in transport, where new fuel-efficient vehicles are being designed all of the time and new infrastructure built to accommodate them. Largely ignored are the huge numbers of empty seats that are travelling around our roads and railways every day.
Ten million cars commute every weekday morning with no passengers - that’s over 38 million empty seats! Imagine the impact that sharing even a small number of these journeys would have. For example, if all of these lone drivers shared their journey with one person just once a week then the number of cars on the roads would drop by 10% - that’s 10% less emissions, fuel and cost.
And while, in theory, the environmental impact of public transport is less than driving by car, it is important not to get complacent. An empty bus, like the one I travel home on every evening, emits considerably more than any car. Car-sharing with four people is the most efficient way to travel, as well as encouraging community building and inclusion in an increasingly individual orientated world.
We need a change of focus to making the most of the considerable potential we already have before using up extra resources to make more.
You can sign up for free on www.liftshare.com; or check out other sites for liftsharing: www.carshare.com www.freewheelers.co.uk
