“I think the benefits of that restfulness is a no brainer it’s just ultimately much easier”
Location
Mayo
Name
Brian
Useful Links
Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail and Sustainability: Link
Impact:
Brian saves 44kg of CO2 on each trip to Dublin taken by train instead of car.
My personal sustainability action was
Even though I live in Mayo and work in Dublin I have switched to cycling and commutes using the train instead of a car.
What inspired you to do this?
Sustainability, reducing CO2 emissions, and from a practicality perspective, it’s actually safer
The Impact of the Change
I feel healthier, still getting the fresh air, and not driving that commute makes me feel more productive and efficient all around
What advice would you have for others to do something similar?
Even just commuting to the train instead of driving the full way makes a big difference, and I think the benefits of that restfulness is a no brainer it’s just ultimately much easier.
Some research suggests that actions that are perceived as legitimate are more effective
A train emits 28g CO2 per passenger per km, a car emits 120g CO2. That’s a little over one quarter as much on the train as the car. Brian’s Mayo to Dublin commute is approximately 244kms. This means that Brian saves 44kg CO2 per round trip. This would be the same as planting three trees for each journey!
Brian didn’t tell us how often he has to travel to Dublin for work, but even if it was just once a week, he would save about 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year: needing more than 142 trees to offset.
Calculations:
244kms car X 102g CO2 = 29.3 kg CO2 per journey, 58.6 kg CO2 per round trip
260kms train X 28g CO2 = 7.3 kg CO2 per journey, 14.6 kg CO2 per round trip
The train journey emits 44 kg CO2 LESS than the car round trip.
A mature conifer tree in Ireland offsets 14kg CO2 per year.
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