Getting There Greener

While the idea of "green" vacations has attracted recent attention, most information focuses on what to do when you get to your destination, not on how to get there. No definitive source has been available to guide travelers toward the transportation option—train, plane, automobile, or motor coach (a.k.a. bus)—that will produce the least global warming pollution during a particular vacation. Until now.

In Getting There Greener, the Union of Concerned Scientists presents the first comprehensive analysis—peer-reviewed by experts—of the highest-carbon and lowest-carbon options for vacation travel.

This analysis shows that three key factors determine the environmental impact of your travel:

1. the type of vehicle you are taking;
2. the distance you are traveling; and;
3. the number of people traveling with you.

Based on these factors, this guide can tell you how environmentally sound (or perhaps unsound) your travel plans are.

Pledge to reduce the global warming pollution from your vacation travel this new year and beyond.