Driving Green
What if you can't afford to trade in your non-eco-cool wheels for a cleaner greener version? How can you make your own transportation as green as possible? There are several things you can do to make your regular vehicle a little more eco-friendly. The best one is to drive it as little as possible, but you can also purchase carbon credits to offset the time you do drive. You should also consider the maintenance of the vehicle and how you drive it.
Keep tires properly inflated. This ensures that you get good fuel economy. If tires are below recommended pressure, fuel economy is reduced. Improperly inflated tires can also affect the handling of the vehicle and the life of the tires.
Get tuneups regularly. This will make sure your fuel efficiency is where it is supposed to be and keeps your vehicle running smooth. Try to find a location that recycles all the vehicle fluids or at least disposes of them properly.
Get your oil changed on schedule and make sure the oil gets recycled. You can even ask for recycled oil for your vehicle.
Unless your owner's manual tells you otherwise, use regular gasoline. High-octane fuels do not improve fuel efficiency or performance; they just waste your money.
Park in the shade or use window shades to help keep your vehicle cooler. This will reduce the need to run the air conditioner. Keeping the vehicle in the shade will also help reduce fuel evaporation that can happen in the heat.
Avoid driving aggressively. This includes rapid starts and stops.
Follow the speed limit. The faster you go, the more fuel economy you lose and the more emissions your vehicle creates.
Combine trips by doing everything you need to in one day or in one location instead of spacing everything throughout the week.
Carpool as often as possible.
Clean out your vehicle and don't carry excess stuff you don't need. The more excess weight you carry around, the less fuel economy you have.
Currently there are no miracles on the horizon and no perfect solutions for everyone and everything. Bicycles are not suitable for many, especially those with families and small children or for the elderly and disabled. In addition, many locations in the United States are not bicycle friendly.
Electric-powered vehicles seem to be the optimal solution for many, especially if they are charged with renewable energy such as wind and solar. Yet so far, they do not provide enough range and power for some drivers.
Some cities in California and Arizona have added electric vehicle chargers to places such as shopping malls, grocery stores, hotels, and banks so customers can charge while they are out and about. That is the kind of earth-friendly thinking that needs to be implemented in locations everywhere. Convenience is a big factor when considering change.
Hybrids bridge the gap between the two worlds by increasing fuel efficiency and combining it with electric power to go farther and faster, but the problem is that hybrids still rely on petroleum fuel. Alternative fuels don't get as much mileage and can't be used in every vehicle currently on the road. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the important thing is that we all do what is necessary to reduce our dependence on oil and utilize greener methods of traveling from point A to point B and back again. The near future holds promise as many companies scramble to find solutions to reduce our dependence on dwindling supplies of petroleum.
