A quick trip to the shops, picking up friends, disposing of used glass, driving the kids to school. Cars are convenient and used in many areas of life. But every kilometre also has a considerable impact on our environment. So try to prioritize public transport by using trams and buses as often as possible. Every kilometre counts.

Savings potential

A car produces an average of 19 kilograms of CO₂ per 100 kilometres. Public transport by contrast, such as a mix of trams and buses, generates only 2.7 kilograms. That’s seven times less. In other words using your car once is theoretically the same as a whole week by tram or bus.

Little effort, big impact

Going to work even once a week by public transport instead of driving your car has a big impact on your carbon footprint. For example, at a distance of 10 kilometres there and back, you can save 3.26 kilograms of CO₂ per week, or no less than 143.22 kilograms of CO₂ per year over 47 working weeks. With a saving this size, you could visit a European city by train almost every weekend.

The sorry story of traffic jams and parking

But doesn’t public transport take longer? Not necessarily. We often forget about the time stuck in traffic jams or the tedious business of looking for a parking space. Door to door, there’s often not much difference. And it’s easier on the nerves. Do the maths and see what it’s like for you.

More quality time

Immerse yourself in a book, read the news, talk to your family and friends on the phone, lose yourself in a daydream or do some people watching, unobtrusively or deliberately. Things that are extremely difficult to do while driving – if not in fact illegal – can be a delight on public transport.

Summary

Try to use public transport whenever possible. The reduction in your carbon footprint is enormous. And the difference in terms of your comfort may not be as big as you think.

So start small on occasional days when you make a conscious decision to use public transport.

Travel in company. Because with every additional person in the car, your carbon footprint is reduced proportionately. It isn’t always easy, but it can be done.

Savings potential

Each additional person reduces your footprint proportionately. For two people instead of one, for example, the reduction is already 50 percent.

Fact snack

By sharing your drive to work with a passenger once a week at a distance of 10 kilometres there and back, you can save around 70 kilograms of CO₂ per year. With a saving this size, you could visit a European city by train every other weekend.

Background

Whether with family, friends, colleagues or strangers: each additional person makes your car more efficient and reduces your share of emissions. On top of that, fixed costs for petrol and so on can also be shared.

Here’s how it works

• Question things: be aware that for one person, a car is an oversized means of transport. Getting two tonnes moving takes a lot of energy. Do you really need your car all the time?
• Start small: try sharing your drive with other people on particular days to begin with. This will take a certain amount of planning. Group chats on WhatsApp and the like are helpful here.
• Run errands together.

Do your big weekly shop with neighbours or friends while spending some quality time together. It will do both your social circle and the environment good at the same time.

Try going electric: compared to cars with combustion engines, electric cars save massively on CO₂. Then there’s also less noise, lower insurance premiums, less servicing and a green conscience. Time to think about making the switch.

Savings potential

Compared to cars with combustion engines, electric cars produce around 60 percent less CO₂ over their entire life cycle (including production and infrastructure use). If we consider only emissions from fuel, the figure for the use of eco-electricity actually goes up to over 70 percent.

Background

• The trick’s in the electricity: unlike cars with combustion engines, no CO₂ is emitted while driving electric cars running on renewable electricity. The CO₂ that is factored in comes from production of the electricity. As a rule, the greener the electricity, the less CO₂ is produced during use.
• Note on production: we must however bear in mind that the production of electric cars produces more emissions. This is primarily down to the battery, which is not only the most expensive component but also the most environmentally damaging. In most cases, this is a lithium-ion battery, where the most important constituent is controversial because of how it is mined. The location where the battery is produced also plays a role. For example, production in Europe using renewable energy generates less CO₂ than production in China using fossil fuels.

Summary

Over its entire life cycle, an electric car using eco-electricity is better, emitting around 60 percent less CO₂ compared to a combustion engine.

Here’s how it works

• Discover electric cars: get to grips with electromobility. Find out which electric car might be right for you and fit into your everyday life, and take it for a test drive.
• Determine the right time for you: any major investment calls for meticulous decision-making. When is it worth switching from a combustion engine to an electric one?
• Take advantage of the options available to you: try to get out more with electric, for example by taking an electric taxi or hiring an electric vehicle on your next holiday.

Try going electric: compared to combustion engines, electromobility saves considerably on CO₂. Then there’s the great fun on the road, less noise, low maintenance costs and a clear conscience with regard to the environment. It’s time to think about making the switch.

Savings potential

With electric motorbikes, you can significantly reduce your emissions on the road compared to combustion engines. If you use eco-electricity, the savings potential is over 70 percent.

If we take the entire life cycle into account, including motorcycle production and use of infrastructure (e.g. roads), electric motorbikes still produce around 60 percent less CO₂ than combustion engine bikes.

Background

The trick’s in the electricity: unlike bikes with combustion engines, no CO₂ is emitted while driving electric motorbikes running on renewable electricity. The CO₂ that is factored in comes from production of the electricity. As a rule, the greener the electricity, the less CO₂ is produced during use.

Note on production

We must however bear in mind that the production of both electric motorcycles and electric cars produces significantly more emissions than the production of conventional vehicles. This is primarily down to the battery, which is not only the most expensive component but also the most environmentally harmful. In most cases, this is a lithium-ion battery, where the most important constituent is controversial because of how it is mined. The location where the battery is produced also plays a role. For example, production in Europe using renewable energy generates less CO₂ than production in China using fossil fuels.

Summary

Over its entire life cycle, a motorbike powered by electricity and manufactured in Europe is clearly better, emitting around 60 percent less CO₂ compared to a combustion engine.

Here’s how it works

Determine the right time for you: any major investment calls for careful decision-making. When is it worth switching from a combustion engine to an electric vehicle?

What’s the best road to reducing your mobility carbon footprint? Easy: don’t take to the road in the first place. This has benefits for you and the environment. You gain valuable time and save on CO₂. Here are a few ideas on how you can easily cut back on your day-to-day mobility.

Here’s how it works

• Commuting? Work from home: we know that working from home isn’t possible in every job. But if you can, you can save yourself the commute by working from home. Just one day a week of working from home reduces the impact of your commute by 20 percent. That quickly makes a big difference.
• Shopping? Have it delivered: if you always go shopping with your car, having your weekly shopping delivered online can be a good alternative. When you order online, the same vehicle is used for several deliveries, optimizing the rounds. This saves on distances and fuel. However, it is important to buy the right goods and not send half of them back. You should also avoid express orders, because express means that there will be fewer other deliveries, or in the worst case that the delivery van will be sent out only for you.
• Leisure time? Enjoy your local area: you can also save yourself a lot of driving in your free time. You will find that there are many terrific leisure activities to enjoy in your own region, saving you lots of time and CO₂. Just ask yourself the question: isn’t this something I can also do locally? You’ll be surprised what you’ll find in your own area.

You would be hard put to find a better way to save as much CO₂ by doing just one thing: taking the train instead of flying. Of course, you won’t be able to get to every destination this way. But for short and medium distances in particular, travelling by train can easily keep up in terms of time and comfort.

Savings potential

Travelling by train produces around 22 times less CO₂ than flying. On top of that, most destinations in Europe are easily reached by train. Door to door, the time it takes by plane isn’t that much shorter, because you don’t have the waiting and checking in at the airport. For example, you can get to Paris from Zurich in 4.5 hours, with emissions of only 3 kilograms of CO₂.

The three most popular destinations – London, Berlin and Amsterdam – can all be reached by train. If we allowed just a little more time for our much-loved weekend trips, it would massively benefit the environment.

Here’s how it works

• Take your time: what’s that saying again? The journey is its own reward. Going on holiday by public transport is no less relaxing, and it’s also better for the environment. Turn the journey to your holiday destination into an adventure. International travel by train is rapidly growing in popularity. Try it yourself.
• When something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well: if you’re under the spell of a faraway country that won’t let you go, then fly there! But maybe not quite tomorrow or the day after. Maybe not until two or three years from now, and then make it really worth your while. Save up as many holiday days as you can in the meantime. Neither you nor the country you visit will really get much out of a short trip marred by jet lag and hotel hopping.

Not all flights are the same: holidays may be the best time of year, but they’re not necessarily the most climate-friendly. This is especially true for flights. Because flying produces a great deal of CO₂. Did you know that Swiss people take twice as many flights as their neighbours? In 2018, this generated an average of slightly over 500 kilograms of CO₂ per head.

Savings potential

You don’t have to go to the other side of the world to relax on the beach. A return flight to Mallorca as opposed to the Maldives burns up 2,450 kilograms less CO₂ per person. This would allow you to cover 8,000 kilometres by car, or eat more than 200 grams of beef or over 6 kilograms of tofu every day for two years. There really can be no other category where you can save so much CO₂ so easily and painlessly.

Background

Flying has a major impact on your carbon footprint. This is mainly because planes fly at very high altitudes, where the impact on climate change is bigger than on the ground. The fuel used by aircraft – kerosene – consists of 86 percent carbon and 14 percent hydrogen. With water vapour, it’s more difficult to calculate the impact on the climate conclusively. The number of passengers per flight is also only a secondary factor because the weight of an empty aircraft is already enormous, even without its passengers.

Here’s how it works

Are you under the spell of a faraway country and really want to go there? Then fly! But maybe not quite tomorrow or the day after. Take the time to plan your holiday so that it’s truly worth your while. For example, save up as many holiday days as you can, letting you enjoy your time in faraway countries to the fullest and giving you enough time to explore everything there. Neither you nor the country you visit will really get much out of a short trip marred by jet lag and hotel hopping.

Pro’s tip

The three most popular destinations in Europe are London, Berlin and Amsterdam. All three destinations can be reached by train. While this may take a little more time, it’s much better for the environment. If we allowed just a little more time for our much-loved weekend trips, it would massively benefit the environment.

If you travel by car instead of flying, you can save a great deal of CO₂. And the journey can also become an adventure, allowing you to turn off easily and spontaneously to places on the way to your actual destination. It’s worth thinking about.

Savings potential

If we allowed just a little more time for our much-loved weekend trips, it would massively benefit the environment. Because driving a car produces about five to seven times less CO₂ than flying, assuming that all seats in the car are occupied.

Background

There is no other category where you can save so much CO₂ so easily and painlessly. Swiss people take twice as many flights as their neighbours. In 2018, this generated an average of just over 500 kilograms of CO₂ per head.

Here’s how it works

• No car – no problem: if you don’t have your own vehicle or don’t want to put too many kilometres on your own car, car rental companies such as Mobility are an attractive alternative. Or how about renting a caravan? Turn the world into your playground and savour all but unlimited freedom camping in a caravan.
• Take your time: if you’re under the spell of a faraway country that won’t let you go, then fly there! But maybe not quite tomorrow or the day after. Maybe not until two or three years from now, and then make it really worth your while. Save up as many holiday days as you can in the meantime. Neither you nor the country you visit will really get much out of a short trip marred by jet lag and hotel hopping.