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Going Green: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles … and Bikes!

aeliasen
Employee
Employee

There are a variety of ways that we as Southwest Employees get to work each day.  Some people ride their bicycles, carpool, use city transit systems, and some even utilize our Southwest airplanes to commute to their locations! Last September, we posted a Pulse Point survey question to our internal intranet site SWALife to see how our Employees travel to work, and here’s what the responses were:
  • The majority of responders (70 percent) said that they use a single passenger car or SUV to commute
  • Nine percent use a Hybrid vehicle, motorcycle, train/subway, or carpool (two-three persons)
  • Roughly two percent ride to work via bus or van-pool
  • One percent of responders walk or bike to work
May 12-16 is National Bike to Work Week, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists.  You may be surprised to know that the number of people who ride a bike to work in America has increased about 60 percent in the past ten years, according to a recent article by USA Today. In honor of National Bike Week, even if you live too far from work to get there via bicycle, here are some other ways that you can Green your commute:
  • Utilize your city’s public transportation system.  Many buses and trains are able to transport bicycles, so ride your bike to the station.
  • If you don’t already carpool, consider getting a group of Coworkers together to share the ride. Not only will you cut back on costs and emissions, you may also make a new friend!
  • If you must drive your car, be sure to keep up with regular maintenance—oil changes and properly inflated tires help increase fuel efficiency.
What are some ways that you can commute to work and use a green filter?  Let us know by commenting below!