Modern transportation is a huge contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, which in turn is a significant component of global warming theory. Highway vehicles alone account for 26 percent of U.S. CO2 emissions, according to the EPA. Airplanes are also big contributors, spewing significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Obviously, cars and airplanes are critical components of modern business travel and aren't going away any time soon. The challenge, therefore, is to figure out how to best manage your inevitable use of cars and airplanes.
Modern technology does offer some choice. For example, rather than fly to a client's or customer's place of business, you could have a virtual meeting, using your computer, your phone, and teleconferencing software. If you have employees, you could encourage that they telecommute full-time or part-time to reduce transportation costs.
If your business owns a car, consider replacing it when it wears out with a hybrid vehicle. Fuel cell technology is advancing so fast that you may have several alternative fuel choices by the next time you need to replace your vehicle.
Business Travel
If you travel frequently, it may be time to rethink your travel needs if you want to consider the green implications. Probably the most often asked question is whether it's better, from a green perspective, to fly or drive. The answer is: it depends.
Generally speaking, airplanes generate less carbon dioxide per passenger than cars. According to the Wall Street Journal, the average domestic flight emits 0.59 pound of carbon dioxide per passenger flying one mile. The average passenger vehicle emits 0.93 pound per mile. Thus, for example, a small business owner who flies 500 miles generates 295 pounds of carbon dioxide, whereas a small business owner who drives 500 miles generates 465 pounds of carbon dioxide, based on a vehicle that gets the industry average of 23.9 miles per gallon.
Based on that comparison, you might conclude that flying is better than driving, but there are other factors to consider. For one, airplanes just get you from airport to airport. Some form of ground transportation is involved in getting you to the airport and from the airport to your final destination. Second, the emissions were expressed per passenger. The car statistic, on the other hand, assumes one passenger. The per person average emission goes down for every additional passenger riding in the car. The airplane statistic, on the other hand, uses the industry average for flights. Thus, total airplane emissions are divided by the average number of passengers on a flight.
As a result, whether it is better to fly or drive depends upon how far you have to go, how many people are in the car, and how much ground transportation is involved if you fly. And, then, of course, you have to consider the price of gasoline and the cost of airline tickets.