So, a while ago I said I would post some tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint without giving up your car. Well, here is the first of many! (I decided to spread out the posts because, well, 365 posts is a lot of ideas!)
Don't idle your car. If a stop is longer than 10 seconds it will actually save you gas. The federal government's Office of Energy Efficiency says the average Canadian idles their car for five minutes a day, not counting warming it up on cold mornings (which happens a lot on the winter -but apparently cars only need to be warmed up for about 30 seconds before they are good to go!). But cutting that idling, you’ll save about 42 litres a year - the equivalent of 101 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.
That seems like sound savings for my wallet and the environment, and when I go get "Clifford" (my car) out of winter hibernation, I will be sure not to idle for more than 10 seconds!
While burning oil and gas will never be sustainable, eco-friendly driving habits are a good start.
No comments:
Post a Comment