As travelers, we all realize that we need to get from point A to point B, but we'd like be able to get to our destination without ruining the earth. The good news: we can balance our travel needs and also mitigate our impact on the environment when we travel by rail. So leave your car at home, and let Amtrak get you where you need to go.
More than just a convenient way to travel, Amtrak is also energy efficient. Traveling by rail contributes less per passenger mile to greenhouse gas emissions than either cars or airplanes. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Amtrak is almost 20 percent more efficient than domestic airline travel and 30 percent more efficient than auto travel on a per-passenger-mile basis.
* BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, a standard unit of energy. Figures listed are from 2009 and refer to BTUs used per passenger mile.
In addition, Amtrak is a charter member of the growing Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first legally-binding integrated greenhouse gas reduction and trading system. When Amtrak joined the Exchange in 2003, it committed to cutting diesel emissions by 6 percent by 2010. This represents the largest percentage of reduction committed to in the United States on a voluntary basis and is the first commitment made by a transportation company.
Source:
