Truckin' in the Big Rigs

By: Colleen Heenan

When becoming a conscious environmentalist, it is important to remember more then just reusing bags, taking shorter showers and driving less. It is important to keep your footprint in mind when purchasing anything and everything. From groceries to tennis shoes to the bar of soap in your bathroom, virtually all of your purchases have traveled for some length of time. And most items are shipped crossed country in large trucks. To understand just how many trucks are on the road I went to The Union of Concerned Scientist website and this is what I found:

Of all the global warming causing emissions from America, 25% of them come from transportation alone, and 6% of those come from trucks on the road. Well, 6% does not seem so bad, does it? It seems bad when these trucks have more lenient emission standards then other vehicles that clutter America’s highways. Here is a list, from the UCS, of problems resulting from the lax standards for trucks in America

* one-quarter of smog-causing pollution from highway vehicles
* over half the soot from highway vehicles
* the majority of the cancer threat posed by air pollution in some urban areas
* 6 percent of the nation's global warming pollution
* over one-tenth of America's oil consumption

So, what’s being done about these skewed standards for drivers? Potentially the UCS claims that green technologies combined with advanced emission regulations can cut truck pollution by 90% and can also save on gas. So far no new regulations have been set. So what can you do to reduce your demand on trucks?

Shopping locally you can make a large impact for both the local economy and the environment. From buying produce, meats, and dairy to buying cloths, bags and other household products you can significantly reduce the needs for unnecessary transportation. Also, just by reducing your own demands of you “wants” you can save yourself a load of money and also become a bit greener. If you think shopping less is bad for the economy then just shop smart and get only what you need. Simplicity is bliss!

For more information on truck emissions in the U.S. check out: http://www.ucsusa.org/