May 04, 08
Planning to visit Mom? Hit the rails!
Although not as speedy as flying the friendly skies or convenient as hopping in your jalopy, train travel—along with hitting the highway on a bus—is the least environmentally damaging form of long-distance transport. Amtrak notes that the carbon emissions per passenger mile when traveling by plane is .48 kg compared to only .21 kg when traveling by train. Additionally, the World Watch Institute finds that when measuring in kilojoules (a measurement of electrical, mechanical, and thermal energy) per passenger mile, train travel is responsible for 640 kJ, travel by motor coach 720 kJ, and flying claims a whopping 6,080 kJ.
