Jersey is a small island with a big addiction to cars, with a population of around 90,000 and over 100,000 registered vehicles, it's plain to see that we are a car-loving island. J-CAN recognises that this is the status quo and we are not all going to get rid of our cars overnight. However there are several small and easy steps we can all take to make our motoring more environmentally friendly by increasing our fuel efficiency. As an added bonus all our tips will also save you money both in the short and long term.

Main article: Your car.

JUNE UPDATE. At the 2009 Durrell Sustainability Seminar Transport and technical services gave a presentation on commuting in Jersey. Their statistics showed that of the 10,000 cars that come into town each morning 7,000 have only a single occupant. TTS have an objectives or reducing the number of cars on the road by 1,300 to bring us below the 'clogging point' and avoid serious traffic jams. At J-CAN we support this initiative but wonder why the objective can be to get everyone car sharing through the travel together website and reduce the number of commuter cars by 3,000 or even 4,000 each day!

Watch this space for more information on public transport, car-share schemes and other transport initiatives that J-CAN will be championing or supporting in the near future.

1. Local Bus times http://www.mybus.je
2. Minibus Direct http://www.jerseyminibus.com, private busses that run on local recycled chip oil!
3. Jersey Bio Fuels http://jerseybiofuels.com

Riding a bike is a great way to get to know the island better, commute to and from work without sitting in traffic and pumping out pollution and get some exercise! There are several useful resources available to Jersey cyclists:

Some suggested cycle routes to get you started http://www2.jersey.com/content_page.asp?id=747&lan=

If you want to find a buddy to cycle with you can now do so through the states of jersey travel together scheme. If you have a child at school in the island or your employer has signed up to the scheme you can log on and find people to buddy up with and go cycling either for fun or on the work commute http://www.traveltogether.gov.je/

Cycling to work has now become even more attractive with the launce of the Bikes 4 Business scheme. Why not see if you can get your employer to join and help staff get discounts on bikes and equipment http://boudinscycles.com/bikes4Business.aspx

J-CAN believes that local business has a responsibility to encourage staff to cycle to and from work to help ease congestion and reduce pollution. All medium and large local employers should provide secure bicycle storage and preferably have good shower, changing and locker facilities on site to encourage staff to cycle rather than drive to work. Some offices are ahead of the game with this but most could do significantly more to make cycling more convenient for their employees. If you do not already have these sorts of facilities at your office speak to your management to see if they are willing to provide them.

Walking is good for you – and there are few arguments against that (unless you have painful memories of the ITEX round the island walk). On an island of 9 miles by 5 you’re rarely too far a walk to reach your desired destination with a little forward planning. There are even several books on Jersey walks that you can pick up in most of the islands bookshops. As with Cycling the Travel Together website can help you find a walking or jogging buddy for your daily commute or other adventures around the island.

If you want inspiration for walking to work have a look at Walking Works http://www.walkingworks.org.uk/ or for a bigger picture on traveling by foot see their parent site Living Streets http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/

If you want ways to make your walks more interesting here are a couple of ideas for you:

Buy yourself a pocket guidebook to birds, wild plants or sea shore life and go out to search for the wonderful flora and fauna that live here in Jersey with us.

Take a basket and go foraging for edible fruits, plants and fungi from the hedgerows or shell fish and sea weed sea shores. There are some good practice guidelines for foraging that are worth following available at:

http://www.forum.downsizer.net/post-449.html&sid=2b648124303ede517b7a0dcbede953cb

If you plan to forage on the sea shores pick up a copy of the angling and low water fishing guidelines from the environment department first. This will let you know when to collect different species and what the minimum catch sizes are for each.

Thinking of taking a trip over seas? Do you want to avoid the hassle and crowds of an airport followed by an hour or 6 sitting in a cramped aeroplane cabin? Check out www.seat61.com for ways to travel to Europe, Asia and Africa without leaving the surface of the planet. The website will present you with both high speed and scenic options for your journey using rail, bus and sea options to get you there.

The journey not the arrival matters. -T. S. Eliot

Carbon offset is a topic that always raises debate among environmentalists. Some will claim it is merely a flimsy excuse for individuals and businesses to continue to pollute while others point out that it is a good way to balance what carbon you have not managed to cut out of your life. J-CAN is not here to tell you what side of this argument you should take. However should you wish to work out what the carbon footprint of your travel and transport (and other elements of your life) is here are some useful websites to help you achieve this:

Carbon calculators come in a variety for styles and levels of detail. Here we have provided links to the UK based Act on CO2 calculator that is very user friendly and also the local Eco Active carbon calculator that provides data accurate to Jersey:

Act on CO2 http://www.actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Eco Active Carbon Calculator http://www.thisisjersey.co.uk/eco-active/2008calculator.html

If you would like to offset some of your CO2 there are many options to be found on the web, some more creditable than others. Look out for the gold standard quality logo when choosing who to offset with, alternatively if you would like to support a local charity you can now offset carbon through Durrell:

Durrell Wildlife Carbon offset scheme http://www.durrell.org/Get-Involved/How-Can-I-Help/Carbon-Offset/