RVing a greener travel choice?

The next time you get frustrated trying to pass yet another slow-moving RV, remind yourself they may just be more environmentally responsible than you. 

A new study reveals that RVing is the travel mode of choice for eco-friendliness. The study compared the carbon dioxide emissions of a family of four traveling by RV and compared it to the emissions generated by other modes of transport, including driving your car or flying to your destination.

Conducted by an independent research firm, the study used a carbon calculator methodology developed by Conservation International. The study compared carbon dioxide emissions from vacations of 3, 7, 10 and 14 days in length. The study even factored in different makes and models of cars and RV for a fair comparison. 

How can it possibly be that an RV which has the aerodynamic characteristics of a cardboard box possibly produce less greenhouse gas than your average car? Well, no. It doesn’t. But when you take a vacation, that’s not a fair comparison, unless you drive there and sleep in your back seat. If that’s the case, bravo.

Air travel, as most probably understand, generates more carbon dioxide for the same trip than RV travel.  But hotel stays aren’t exactly carbon-neutral, either.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t stay in hotels, just that like anything else, they have a footprint.  Heating, air conditioning, laundry, restaurants, ice makers, room service; it all counts.

It seems when it comes to vacations, RV’s are number one. That’s the index finger, not the middle one.