The big surprise about scooters

Plot twist: electric scooters are worse for the environment than you think.

Last week, a new study from North Carolina State University found that while shared e-scooters are more environmentally friendly than owning a personal car, they emit more greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than buses with high ridership, personally owned electric bikes or traditional bikes.

The problem: E-scooters seem green, meaning scooters companies market their environmentally friendly qualities to woo users and regulators. Bird has an entire page on their site dedicated to it. So does Lime. Of course, scooters are electric, and therefore carbon-free. The larger environmental impact lies in the emissions produced by the manufacturing, transportation (they’re usually shipped from China), upkeep, and maintenance of these scooters. And according to the study, ~half of e-scooter riders says that would have biked, walked or not taken a trip at all if it wasn’t for scooters.

The reports’ authors recommended that e-scooter companies ensure their scooters last as long as they can, estimating a scooter’s average lifetime around six to 24 months. Unfortunately, scooters reportedly last closer to four and a half months.

If you’re an avid scooter rider, here are some products that might help offset your carbon footprint:

🙌 Wren lets you calculate emissions and fund offset projects

🌏 Cloverly is an API for carbon offsets

👀 Carbon Trim shows you your carbon footprint for daily actions

👏 Offcents helps you travel with zero carbon emissions

And here are 18 more products working to to save the planet.

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