Bill Cannon/Getty
DCL
The Elevator Is An Electric Car!
I recently went to the dentist and was waiting for an elevator. While I was waiting for this monster of a machine to slowly come down to the lobby, I realized when I wrote Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, 2nd Edition that an elevator in an electric car. Then I thought to myself: Hey, how could I reduce my carbon footprint today? It dawned upon me that my appointment was only on the third floor? While I was waiting, I heard the electric motor kick in and the EV drive down to the first floor. I asked myself: How much energy or how much of a carbon footprint was I creating to make that EV to move?
Electric Vehicles Are Everywhere!
Electric vehicles (EVs) are highly adaptable and part of everyday society: Electric cars are found on mountain tops (railway trams, cable cars), at the bottom of the sea (submarines, Titanic explorer), on the moon (Lunar Rover), in tall buildings (elevators), in cities (subways, light rail, buses, delivery vehicles), hauling heavy rail freight or moving rail passengers fast (Pennsylvania Railroad Washington to New York corridor). Are they all electric vehicles? Yes. Do they run on rails or in shafts or on tethers or with non-rechargeable batteries? Yes. Source: Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, 2nd Edition
Reduce Your Elevator Trips
So now that you can understand that an elevator is an electric car, how about this idea to reduce your carbon footprint: Walk up the stairs and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator! While I was walking down the stairs from my appointment, versus taking the elevator I realized that I was doing a little exercise too; not bad!!
So, if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, save energy and some pounds too, reduce your elevator trips (unless you are on the 50th floor of course).
