✓ CO2 Emissions

[TamZam]

I'd love to see the amount of carbon dioxide emissions prevented from commuting by bicycle, walking, etc. It could be displayed on your activity just like calories burned (but only when "commute" is chosen). Not only could this encourage more people to choose active transportation, but I read on your Commutes on Strava page that "we hope to make the commuting experience on Strava more rewarding and exciting in the future." A win-win!

CO2 Emissions displayed on NH CommuteSmart platform

[Soren]

Thanks for submitting your idea. It has been reviewed by our moderation team and is now open to voting.

[Jan_Mantau]

These whole CO2 saving calculations are completely ridiculous. If you commute by walk or bicycle you always burn additional CO2 comparing to staying at home or comparing to using a vehicle that goes regardless if you use it or not (public transportations). And nobody knows how much you do eat additionally if you commute by your own power or what you're car would have burned. Can't you just be happy to not use a car without someone applauding you for it by giving you fake numbers?

[CreakyCrank]

@TamZam , I think this is a great idea.  Everybody knows that we have become a car dependent society in most of the 'western' world (Europe less so), and if we can encourage people to take alternative modes of transport (vs a single person in a multi-thousand pound vehicle), we'll all be better off for it, both from the carbon footprint, as well as the wear/tear on infrastructure, and the hazards presented to cyclists and pedestrians by excess vehicular traffic.

As for the emissions comparisons - here is some interesting information:

According to research from the University of Oxford, choosing a bike over a car just once a day can reduce the average person’s transportation-related emissions by 67%.  

That’s because cycling has a carbon footprint of just 33 grams of CO2 per mile traveled. That’s up to 30 times lower than that of a fossil fuel car, and even less than that of walking or taking public transportation.  

Cycling doesn’t have a carbon footprint of zero because of the emissions required to manufacture and distribute a bike, and because of the extra food someone may have to eat to “fuel” the cycling they do. But this carbon footprint is minimal – if you rode your bike just 2 miles a day, five days a week instead of driving, you’d offset this initial footprint of the bike in less than a year.  

Of course, you will get people who argue against this, but when you think of it from a scientific viewpoint (physics), the energy it takes to move mass over a distance is obviously greater when the mass is increased, so it just makes sense that a single person (or two people) in a car would have a greater impact than a person on a bike, on foot, or on roller-blades.

[entio]

@Jan_Mantau came here to post this 🙂

[ps]

This is now live!  Appeared on my ebike ride this morning.

[TamZam]

Thank you all for helping this idea get implemented! 

[stephe]

How do I turn this off - or, at a minimum, prevent it from displaying...  looks a little too much like virtue signalling to me, and would prefer not to have it (particularly given that it's fairly arbitrary, with a single nominal comparison to a single user vehicle); but if it can't readily be disabled, then at least I would like to not have it displayed by default on my ride...

(and, yes, I have solved for the moment by removing the 'commute' tag, but I use that for a number of purposes, so this 'addition' has now reduced the value and usability of the app for me)

[jimdennison]

I don't mind having co2 displayed -- and it has started to be displayed on my iOS/iPhone Strava App against my cycling activities. But ... Strava seem to have removed the 'Calories burned' data at the same time. That I do mind -- I want it back!!! I use that ... the co2 data not so much.

[Eee_Jay_Jay]

Noticed the "Carbon saved" metric showing up on my tagged commute rides yesterday. Very cool. As a followup suggestion, it would be great to see a total, all years, roll-up of carbon saved and commuting KMs. 

Good work Strava!

[ps]

Kindof agree with jim, my preference would be CO2 for Commutes and Calories for non-Commutes.  And yes totals would be good.

[ctsinclair]

Thanks for suggesting! I just saw this pop up and I love it. Going to share with my commuting friends. 

[michal_kozal]

Agreed about configurability. At minimum you should be able to choose if it should appear, at best to set your reference. Big gas SUV with a single person will have different CO2 vs EV sedan with two ppl inside.

[alphabetasoup]

I'd like to have this opt-in. My alternative to bike commuting isn't car commuting, it's working from home. So my bike commute arguably adds more carbon than the alternative due to physical exertion. The car commute option also uses a much longer route due to road configuration, and wouldn't account for congestion... the number is really meaningless virtue signalling.

[Moncs]

Useless and meaningless virtue signalling - Good People Badge - now also on Strava. Ready to cancel subscription if this cannot be removed (keep optional for users and do NOT default).

[NickRunBikeMN]

The people commenting negative about this is hilarious.  seriously does negativity rule your life?  do you find joy in anything or anyone else's goals/accomplishments?  Is everything a scam that you feel need to call out?  lol 

However one thing I notice of issue is that my 16-17mile commute saves roughly 5.9 according to Strava.  But when I take my usual roundabout long routes on way home 25-35mile.. it gives me 10+ of co2... I would prefer it reference the start and end point and the co2 for going the distance via car (auto route per strava).  BUT... i guess my 'commute' home at that point is just a normal ride.  

Also.... trying to quantify the environmental impact of biking for transportation via Co2 is nice... but I would prefer a setting to change to gallons of gas (or even $$$) , cuz co2 isn't really a metric that makes sense to likely <1% of users.