The Transportation Transformation: Travel Tips in the Spirit of St. Francis

Go outside and take a deep breath—if you dare.

Smog has become as much a summertime staple as baseball games and parish festivals. And we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It’s no secret that we Americans have a dependency on our cars.

In fact, the Sierra Club, one of the nation’s oldest environmental organizations, reports that Americans travel almost three trillion miles by car each year. Transportation contributes about one-third of all US carbon dioxide emissions, according to Sierra’s reports. That’s a lot of pollution.

While it’s unrealistic for most of us to give up our cars completely, making subtle adjustments to our lifestyles and our habits can offset significant environmental harm. Here are some tips for sensible traveling.

Drive carefully.

The Environmental Protection Agency encourages drivers to avoid aggressive acceleration and braking. It’s also important to make sure tires are properly inflated. Tires that are inflated appropriately improve gas mileage.

Carpool.

The benefit is twofold: we are aiding the environment by having one fewer car on the road; and the relationships we share with those in the car with us can be strengthened.

Combine trips.

The US Department of Energy encourages drivers to have a game plan before running errands. Short trips from a car that has been idle can use twice the fuel that combining trips does. It also reduces the wear and tear on your car.

Bus it.

Keeping your car in park two days a week can lower greenhouse gas emissions. According to the American Public Transit Association, using public transportation regularly can save the equivalent of 900,000 fill-ups every day.

Ride a bike.

Aside from the environmental benefits, cycling can improve muscle tone, improve heart health, and reduce stress.

Be a roamin’ Catholic.

Stretching our legs for a walk can strengthen bones, lower blood pressure, and lift our moods.

What would Francis do?

Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of ecology, but, in his lifetime, he was also an optimist—and no stranger to walking.

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible,” is a saying attributed to him. Francis had a deep love for the earth and for those who shared it with him. We can do the same. Our children's children demand it.

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"The earth is polluted because of its inhabitants, for they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, broken the ancient covenant" (Isaiah 24:5).

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