Wendy Gordon, head of the NRDC’s green-living sites, returns to “Green is Good” to discuss the role transportation within the world’s cities plays in conservation. It’s no secret that gas in the U.S. is hovering around $4/gallon, so now is the time to investigate how best to move around while lessening oil demand and saving money. The NRDC examined urban transportation in a new Smarter Cities study that identifies the 15 small, medium and large cities that are making eco-minded (and wallet-friendly) decisions to move their citizens around effectively. Beyond efficient city transportation infrastructure, Gordon provides a number of personal transportation tips that can make a major environmental difference. “The smartest thing you can do is minimize your driving and bundle your trips,” Gordon explains. “Plan your trips so you only make right turns — right on red saves gas!”

Jim Motavalli, an eco-author and green transportation expert, states that we are headed for “peak oil” — when oil demand soars above oil supply. His book, High Voltage, released in 2011, examines electric vehicles and how they will change our oil dependency. Motavalli cites the expanding lineup of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars as a major accomplishment in green engineering. He also lists the hydrogen fuel cell car, expected to be on the market in 2015, as a paramount in eco-technology. “It may take 30 years for the internal-combustion engine to disappear from the road,” Motavalli says. “It’s not going to be overnight that we transition, plus [the electric engine is] very much in its infancy right now. I think we’ll see a lot of improvement in the gas car, say as far as 80 miles a gallon, so that will remain a competitive technology.”

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