Drive Green
Admit it. You love your car and the freedom and individuality it provides. But this comes at a cost. Higher fuel prices and environmental concerns should make us all think twice before turning the key. Did you know that the way that you drive and use your vehicle can have a huge impact on CO2 levels? Here are some easy ways to help keep you driving green. Take your time, slow down and stop to smell the roses before global warming makes those roses harder and harder to find.
Steps
- Fill up smart. What you put in your tank, and how you do so matters. It takes more fossil fuels for oil companies to make higher octane fuels. And since most fuels today have an ethanol blend, you can stick with the lower grade fuels to keep the environment – and your car – happy.
- Don't make special trips just to gas up. Do it on your way home! One less Saturday errand and less gas consumed.
- Avoid idling! Don't just sit there with the engine running; you're choking the planet! Idling a car for only 20 seconds burns more gas and emits more CO2 than simply turning it off and starting it up again when you are actually ready to drive! If you are stuck at a light, a RR crossing or in that lovely traffic, shift to neutral – over the course of a year you would be amazed at how much less CO2 will be emitted on your watch!
- Don't be a lead foot. When you are hitting the gas and on the move, ease up lead foot! When you are at a light don't gun your engine. You may think you're looking cool but really you're just wasting gas and poisoning the air. Save your drag racing fantasies for another day! Don't jack rabbit start or jump off the line when you get the green. Head out nice and easy and reduce your gas consumption. Your RPM's are a good indication of how smart you are driving. Red-lining your car is anything but “green” for the environment.
- ...then get your friends and neighbours to turn off their engines when parked to make for a greener and safer community! Slow down. Driving more than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} reduces your fuel efficiency by almost 15%.
- Buy a green machine. Maybe it's time to buy a green car. These days, more and more car makers sell hybrid vehicles, using gas and electricity - and now they even make ones that run on ethanol and natural gas! These cars could save you up to USD$300 every year! However, give it some thought -- junking a vehicle produces an incredible amount of waste and making new cars takes a lot of materials and energy. You should weigh these factors against the benefits of upgrading to a more efficient vehicle.
- Bring your bike When you have a number of connected errands to do, a bike can help. You can drive to a centralized location and bike to a number of errands close by. You'll not only save fuel, but get some free exercise while reducing wasted time stuck in traffic looking for a place to park!
- Drive like Europeans do. Europeans use 40% less fuel per mile than North Americans do. It's not that they are smarter than us, but they drive smarter and are less wasteful!
- They drive smaller vehicles, they drive efficiently ( non jack-rabbit starts) and they don't idle ( It's like farting...if they idle, they get told 'off' from by-standers!).
- Gas is cheap in the US so we have bad habits driving big cars and idling endlessly. Gas is much more expensive in Europe so they are more motivated to save fuel thanks to carbon taxes - which taxes fuel to force folks to conserve while investing in wind turbines and better healthcare and schools for the people. So get motivated...conserve fuel!
- Drive less! What's greener than a hybrid? A car not driven!
- The greenest thing to do is not drive at all. Carpool; take transit; bike to work; combine trips; walk kids to school for exercise and fresh air.
