What is the environmental impact of your travel?

Did you know that every car journey you make contributes towards climate change? Even on small trips, your engine burns fuel and releases harmful CO₂ into the atmosphere. So the more you drive, the more CO₂ you generate.

Now for the good news! By making just a few small changes to your driving habits, you can make a big difference to your CO₂ levels.

Driving to work and back during the week generates more CO₂ than almost any other journey. So, by simply switching to public transport, car sharing, or walking and cycling instead, you can make some major CO₂ savings.

For instance, on a typical 10 mile journey to work here’s how much CO₂ you could save by switching to the bus instead.

For 1 day = 6.10 kg CO₂

For a week = 30.6 kg CO₂

For a month = 122.30 kg CO₂

For a year = 1467.8 kg CO₂

CO₂ FACT – “One kilogramme of CO₂ is equivalent in weight to a bag of sugar.”

So, by switching to the bus 1 day a week for a year you could save 292kg of CO₂.

Now think of all the other benefits. You could save money on fuel and parking. You could even spend less time queuing in traffic. And because we do all the driving, you get to relax, read your favourite book, listen to music and even spend more time socialising with friends or colleagues after work

Who says doing your bit for the environment isn’t fun?

To find out how much CO₂ your journeys by car are generating, or to work out how much CO₂ you could save by switching to bus or train, simply use our handy CO₂ calculator.

For tips and advice on smarter ways to travel visit the Smarter Travel Options section.

* CO2 calculations are based on 2007 Defra figures