Transportation

Transportation has long been the focus of efforts aimed at sustainable living. No matter how much anyone likes to stay at home, transportation to distant locations is unavoidable. Traditional fossil-fuel burning motorized vehicles are notorious for producing pollution. For years, trends in many countries around the world have resisted the use of newer vehicles that can run off of electricity or clean-burning renewable fuels. Finally, after years of social pressure and damage to the environment, governments have begun to get involved in establishing sustainable transportation systems. Victoria has led the push for sustainable transportation in Australia with the passing of the Transport Integration Act in 2010. This act calls for a sustainable integrated transport system throughout the state that includes not only public transportation, but private transportation, as well.

Current transportation systems have been recognized as damaging and unsustainable. When the push to change the standard automobile system of personal transportation met with resistance in many parts of the world, alternative transportation was recommended instead of trying to get people to change their automobiles. Walking and bicycling are the most environmentally-friendly forms of transportation but are limited by speed and exposure to the elements. In some areas there was a large push for carpooling over everyone driving their own separate vehicles. Most attention, however, was given to public transport systems.

Public Transportation

Public transportation is seen as one of the most viable methods of transportation in sustainable living. Public transport systems were early adopters of using cleaner fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, and natural gas. Public transport reduces the vast amounts of pollution caused by personal vehicles while having several other social benefits. It not only saves on fuel expenditures, but it reduces the social cost of traffic accidents. Many transportation systems also avoid the problems of traffic congestion by operating on dedicated lines. Britain, the United States, and Australia have all begun to scientifically study the benefits of sustainable public transportation systems.

Being able to benefit from public transportation, however, is closely related to the location of the sustainable household. Those who do not live near a public transport line do not have the option and so must pursue other methods of sustainable transportation. One option is to use personal transportation to reach the nearest public transport line, which is often much closer than the final destination.

Private Transportation

While public transportation is the most sustainable method, it cannot be used in every situation. If anything, it is good to have a sustainable private vehicle in cases of emergencies or situations where public transport is insufficient. Sustainable private vehicles are also known as green vehicles. These are environmentally friendly modes of transportation with significantly reduced carbon footprints compared to vehicles with gasoline or diesel-powered internal combustion engines. Some of these vehicles use electric motors and have zero carbon emissions. Other types still use an internal combustion engine, but they are powered on clean-burning alternative fuels. The final type of green vehicle is the hybrid electric vehicle, which has two motors, electric and internal combustion, that supplement each other depending on the situation.

Fully electric vehicles are still not as popular in Australia as hybrid electrics and alternative fuel vehicles because they still have several drawbacks. They have a limited range and are very expensive. In addition, charging stations can be difficult to locate. However, technology is advancing every year and plans are being made to mass produce fully electric vehicles by several major automobile manufacturers in the near future.