Bird riders save 1.1 million gallons of gasoline in 2021
Bird has published a range of end-of-year data outlining the environmental, economic and other notable achievements made during 2021.
It takes more than 650,000 gallons, or around 2.5 million liters, of water to fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Double that, and you start to get a sense of how much gasoline was not burned in cars in 2021 thanks to the modal shift behaviours of Bird riders all around the world.
In a year when the United Nations’ (UN) IPCC report on climate change issued an unambiguous ‘code red’ warning for humanity, these figures are encouraging. The estimated 1,125,000 gallons of unused gasoline saved by Bird riders equates to as much as 10,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide prevented from entering the atmosphere, calculated with reference to guidance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is comparable to the amount of CO2 absorbed by nearly 460,000 mature trees in one year, using the methodology published by the Arbor Day Foundation.
In other words, riding with Bird in 2021 had the same impact on carbon sequestration as one year of protecting 2.5 square miles, or 6.5 km2, of the Amazon rainforest. That is not enough, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
It is important to note that calculating the environmental impact of shared e-scooters and e-bikes is not an exact science. It is a complicated process that should, if done correctly, factor in everything from research, development and detailed lifespan assumptions to recycling efforts.
It takes more than 650,000 gallons, or around 2.5 million liters, of water to fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Double that, and you start to get a sense of how much gasoline was not burned in cars in 2021 thanks to the modal shift behaviours of Bird riders all around the world.
In a year when the United Nations’ (UN) IPCC report on climate change issued an unambiguous ‘code red’ warning for humanity, these figures are encouraging. The estimated 1,125,000 gallons of unused gasoline saved by Bird riders equates to as much as 10,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide prevented from entering the atmosphere, calculated with reference to guidance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is comparable to the amount of CO2 absorbed by nearly 460,000 mature trees in one year, using the methodology published by the Arbor Day Foundation.
In other words, riding with Bird in 2021 had the same impact on carbon sequestration as one year of protecting 2.5 square miles, or 6.5 km2, of the Amazon rainforest. That is not enough, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
It is important to note that calculating the environmental impact of shared e-scooters and e-bikes is not an exact science. It is a complicated process that should, if done correctly, factor in everything from research, development and detailed lifespan assumptions to recycling efforts.
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