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Introduction to Green Transportation

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Transportation Methods

How do we get around?

List as many ways a possible that people (and things) move from one place to another

Think: Have students think independently for a minute about ALL the ways people move from one place to another

Pair: Have students share with a partner some ways they can think of

Share: bring some ideas in to the class

MODEL putting the transportation modes on sticky notes, 1 per note (don’t do all of the ideas! Just 5-6 to model how to write them down on the sticky notes.

Also, at this point it is fine for students to be creative - they might come up with things like “pogo stick” (which doesn’t move you from one place to another so might not count) or parachute (might not count because it is slowing you down, not moving you) unicycle is totally fine, car, truck, canoe, bus, etc..

Include some modes that don’t have any carbon impacts (walking, riding a scooter, bike, canoe) and some that do (car, bus, airplane, power boat). If students include things that move that are electric (electric scooter, bike, car)

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Transportation Methods

On your sticky notes, write all of the ways YOU move around (and vehicles you have traveled in)

CAR

Walk

Bike

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Transportation Methods

With the other students at your table, arrange your sticky notes to make a Dot Plot

Bike

Walk

Bike

…

Bike

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How do our transportation choices affect climate change?

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Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2021

From the EPA website:

The Transportation sector includes the movement of people and goods by cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes, and other vehicles. The majority of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions resulting from the combustion of petroleum-based products, like gasoline and diesel fuel, in internal combustion engines. The largest sources of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions include passenger cars, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and light-duty trucks, including sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. These sources account for over half of the emissions from the transportation sector. The remaining greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector come from other modes of transportation, including commercial aircraft, ships, boats, and trains, as well as pipelines and lubricants.

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2021 US Transportation Sector GHG Emissions by Source

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Connecting our transportation modes to climate impacts.

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Return to your group’s

Transportation Methods Dot Plot

Transportation Method	Number of students	CO2 Points (rough estimate gallons used)	Carbon Footprint “Points”
Walking	4	0	0

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2021 US Transportation Sector GHG Emissions by Source

What do you think the “light duty and heavy duty trucks” are moving around?

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Transportation includes the movement of materials and goods as well as people.

What are some choices we could make to minimize those impacts?

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What are the jobs and careers that currently exist, or might exist in the future connected to the transportation industry?

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Reflections

Option a: Reflect on something that surprised or interested you today about transportation

Option b: 50 years from now, how will middle schoolers get to school?

(extra credit) What percentage of US Greenhouse Gas emissions are caused by the transportation sector?

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Transportation Notebook

Page 1: Design the Cover Page

Name
Pictures
Title of the Book

Page 2: Add Date and Topic: Introduction to Green Transportation

Reflect on something that surprised or interested you today
(extra credit) What percentage of US Greenhouse Gas emissions are caused by the transportation sector?

Google Slides

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Video: Climate Smart Transport, World Bank