The connection between eco-friendly driving habits and a cleaner environment is not a myth. It really is better for the environment to drive fuel-efficient vehicles using fuel-efficient driving techniques.
Here are some basic facts about driving and the environment you may not know:
• Vehicle engines produce carbon dioxide (CO2).
• CO2 is the principal greenhouse gas.
• An abundance of greenhouse gas emissions changes the Earth’s climate.
• Climate change compromises the survival of living things.
• The average vehicle produces three times its weight in CO2 every year. We can reduce greenhouse gases if we drive like the future depends on it. Here are two simple ways to do that:
1. Hang up your keys: Just because you have a vehicle doesn’t mean you need to use it every day or have it be your only mode of transportation. Consider walking, biking, carpooling, or taking the bus, subway, or train. Each bus or subway car can represent 40 or more cars not on the road and not producing greenhouse gas.
2. Really look at your life: Take a good long look at your lifestyle and ask yourself how you can cut down on driving through teleworking, combining trips, conference calls, online video meetings, distance learning, at-home workouts or even cooking at home more often.
If you really stop and think about the effect all that driving is having on our planet, you might think twice about driving as much.
