[Footprint] Transport

Well, kicking off the stuff on our practical experiences so far in living a more eco-friendly life it would make sense to start with transport.

As a child and throughout my teens I was a keen cyclist, until I got my first car... oh dear! Things kind of floundered then as I was now able to transport myself by other means.

However, a year ago we bought a car that had already been converted to Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is basically the propane you get in the orange cylinders. You might say 'what good is that, you are still burning fossil fuels' and I would have to say 'yes I am'. However, the fuel that I am burning would have been burnt off and wasted if I hadn't used it! I'm aware that that sounds insane, but let me explain.

LPG is a byproduct of petrol production. Therefore the rate of supply of LPG is not controlled, unlike petrol. So we find that there is an excess of LPG production over consumption. Well, why don't they store it? Storing LPG for perhaps 20-30 years when there will be more demand than consumption isn't practical, it is far too costly. So instead it is burnt off and wasted, usually at the refinery.

See these links for confirmation:
http://www.go-lpg.co.uk/wont.html
http://www.v8dualfuel.com/
http://www.autogasonestop.com/faq.htm

So the environmental cost of using LPG to either fuel a vehicle or fuel your home is merely the cost of distribution, the fuel used to transport the fuel to you. So there is an environmental cost, but it is far below that of petrol or diesel.

Also, bear in mind that there is an environmental cost associated with maintaining a car and worst of all a massive environmental cost to manufacture a new car.

Hopefully this summer I will get out and cycle more...