How To Drive Greener Without Really Trying

The fact that cars can be harmful to the environment is not newsworthy to many of us. It is pretty much established fact that this is the case, and that there is little to no prospect of the whole world suddenly switching to fuel-efficient or hybrid fuel cars in any hurry. This is not to say, however, that we should just ignore environmental concerns when it comes to driving. We need to all do our own bit to keep a cleaner local and global environment – after all, even if the polar ice caps mean nothing to you, you will have a family and friends who you will want to protect, and driving greener will give them cleaner air to breathe. You do not need to be a full-time environmentalist to want to drive in a more environmentally friendly way.

There are many things that you can do to make your driving more environmentally compliant. They range from stupidly simple things that do not require any real effort to do, to things that will represent either a large financial outlay or a bit of work on your part – or both. How much you do is, largely, up to you. Many of the key environmental requirements in an automobile are standardised and are present when the car rolls off the production line these days, leaving us as people to simply observe best practice when it comes to driving sensibly. The main thing that we can do straight away is ensure that we are not driving aggressively. If you drive too fast, you waste gas. If you accelerate excessively, you waste gas. And guess what happens if you keep braking hard?

Keeping your car running while not on the move is also a step that you should cut out if you are currently doing it. If you are stopping to let someone get out of the car (or into it), or for any other reason other than at traffic signals then you should cut the engine. The longer you sit there with the engine running, the more damage you are doing to the environment from fumes and from lost fuel efficiency. Also, try not to carry excess weight inside the car. The more weight you carry, the more gas you will need to use. So if you have golf clubs, electrical equipment or anything else in the car that you will not need for the journey, leave it behind.

Additionally, there is a lot to be said for following some simple vehicle maintenance tips which seem fairly inconsequential, but when taken cumulatively make a big difference to how your driving can effect the environment. Your fuel efficiency will be improved by something as simple as keeping your tires properly inflated, and vastly improved by replacing clogged air filters. If you have the inclination and the money, then you can also look at hybrid fuel vehicles – Honda have unveiled the Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and is completely green, but at the moment is only available and driveable in California.

By: Levi Quinn

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