The world is waking up to our impact on the environment. In doing so, we’re seeing a global movement toward a greener lifestyle with study after study helping us discover ways we can all do our bit. And as it turns out, going car-free is actually the second biggest choice [1] you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and opt for a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

In this blog post, we'll discuss the environmental benefits of selling your car and how you can make the transition to a car-free lifestyle, or at least one where you no longer need to own a car (Hint: GoGet can help!)

So if you're ready to reduce your carbon footprint (and save some money!), read on!

More and more Aussies are searching for a more eco-friendly lifestyle and we’re seeing changes to the way we live. It started with single-use plastic bags which triggered a national bag ban. From there, we moved on to target takeaway coffee cups as we realised Australian’s use on average, 113 non-recyclable coffee cups every 4 seconds [2].

With transport accounting for 18% of all of Austalia’s carbon dioxide emissions [3] it’s easy to see how trading in your wheels for more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as public transport, bike riding or carsharing can have a massive impact. To give you some perspective, Plastic straws on the other hand, contribute to just 0.025% [4] of the plastic waste that flows through our oceans.

While global companies as big as Coca Cola and McDonalds have pledged to stop producing and distributing plastic straws over the coming years, ditching our cars, or at least putting off purchasing a second car, is something we can all easily participate in to have a greater impact in pursuit of a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

And it’s not just the planet you’re improving when waving goodbye to your car. Studies are showing that the move toward alternate modes of transport, can actually make people healthier.

Without a car to rely on, more people are encouraged to walk or cycle when they otherwise would have driven and many are investing in bikes and even scooters. The health implications are huge, with it being shown to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by almost a third [5].

How to get around without a car

And if you struggle to see how you’ll survive without a car, we’ve got the convenient and eco-friendly answer you’re looking for! Car sharing is a great way for communities to stay on the move without having to give up the comfort of accessing a car when you need one!

Through our mission to help transform modern lifestyles for the better, we’re able to take up to 10 cars off the road for every GoGet car [6]. Not only does that reduce the current amount of greenhouse emissions produced, it’s also preventing future cars from being bought and congesting both our air and our roads.

GoGet members have access to over 3,500 cars and vans parked all over Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, parked near you and available to hire by the hour or the day. You get to conveniently enjoy all the stuff you love, like hitting the shops or the beach, while we deal with petrol, rego, parking, maintenance, cleaning and all the rest. And it's not just cars - we've got wheels for whatever; an extended family or hatchbacks, SUVs, people movers and even vans in your local area.

So next time you’re jamming your reusable coffee cup into the cup holders of your car, take a moment to think (if you’re really serious about an eco-friendly lifestyle), how much you can really save by trading it in for the green, clean and convenient lifestyle that car-free living provides. Even if you need your car every day, carshare is a great option to replace a lightly used second car.

And not only will it help your local community, it can save you money too! Great for the planet AND your wallet? That’s what we call a win win!

Want to find out more? We’ve got the perfect plan for you. Join today and help make a positive impact on your local community.

References:

[1] Seth Wynes and Kimberly A Nicholas 2017 Environ. Res. Lett. 12 074024

[2] Justin Bonsey, The ABC (2019) War On Waste: Fixing Your Coffee Fix

[3] National Transport Commission, Light vehicle emissions intensity in Australia

[4] Sarah Gibbons, The Natural Geographic (2019) A Brief History Of How Plastic Straws Took Over The World

[5] Oliver Mytton and Jenner Panter, University of Cambridge, Ditching the car may reduce your risk of dying from heart disease or stroke by almost a third

[6] AECOM (2016) Transport On Demand: Accelerating Australia Cities p.8