How Green Is Your Car?

Have you gone green? Maybe you buy green household cleaners, got rid of paper statements and pay your bills online, use a refillable water bottle instead of buying bottled, switched to energy-efficient light bulbs, etc. But what about your car? Is there even anything you can do to make your car green? You might be surprised at how easy it is.

Cars are usually branded as evil in the fight to protect our environment, but it’s safe to say we probably won’t see a sudden widespread return of the horse-and-buggy. So what can we do? Mazda published an article called “Driving Greener” in their Spring 2010 edition of Zoom Zoom, listing some easy tips on how to do so. A simple online search can bring up even more results, including a site called www.greenercars.com. For your convenience, we’ve collected some of those tips right here! You might notice a pattern: going green can save you some green!

• Keep up with required maintenance such as oil and filter changes, and keep your tires properly inflated and rotated on a regular basis. Keeping your car running at peak performance not only increases your fuel economy, but it will save your pocketbook and the environment.
• Slow down! The faster you drive, the more “aerodynamic drag” increases, according to Zoom Zoom. This means your car must work harder to maintain speed, and you’ll end up wasting gas and money. The average car is designed to be the most efficient around 65mph—the simple act of avoiding a speeding ticket will also reduce your impact on the environment!
• Combine your trips. You’ll save yourself some time, and you’ll prevent your car from having to warm all the way up more than once.
• In the warmer months, roll the windows down instead of blasting the air conditioning. You’ll use less fuel and reduce your emissions, and your engine won’t leak the chemicals used for air conditioning into the ground. Be sure to park in the shade whenever possible and use a windshield shade as well.
• Clean out your car! If you have a lot of items weighing you down, your car will have to work harder and use more gas.
• Avoid stop-and-go driving as much as possible. Take the freeway instead of regular streets, and avoid rush hour if you can.
• Are you close to your destination? Take a walk or ride your bike! Give your car a rest and get some exercise and fresh air.
  

Can you think of other tips? Let us know! The more we share and spread the word, the greener we can get!