Category: Transportation

Choose smaller, energy efficient vehicles

12/5/2025

Cars and trucks are continuing to supersize, undermining environmental gains. Consumer preference is the main reason. Consider how we are influenced by marketing.

Over the past decade, cars have continued to increase in size, not just a little but significantly so, with serious consequences for our safety and climate.

Read more at finn.com

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, flickr

Drive gently to use less gas

4/12/2024

Driving gently can lower your gas use by up to 33% on the highway and 5% in the city, according to the Department of Energy. Fast accelerations, high speeds, and abrupt stops waste energy.

A special report on 247wallst.com by Liz Blossom points out that "the optimal highway speed for gas mileage is 50 mph; after that, your gas mileage drops quickly." In addition, "fast accelerations and abrupt stops waste energy. By driving gently you can lower your gas mileage by up to 33% on the highway and 5% in the city, according to the Department of Energy. Don’t idle your car, especially while running the air conditioner. In the winter, give your car only 30 seconds to warm up — it will warm up quickly when you start driving. Regular maintenance will help your car run at top efficiency — fixing serious maintenance problems can improve mileage by up to 40%."*

Other driving strategies that improve your gas mileage include avoiding engine idling (turn off the car if it’s going to be more than 30 seconds) and jack-rabbit starts. Read the traffic, signs, and lights in order to minimize the wasted energy in braking. Maintenance tips include keeping tires properly inflated (each 2.5 psi of tire inflation improves fuel economy by 1%), choosing “low rolling resistance” tires, which improve fuel economy close to 3% relative to standard replacement tires, and minimizing excess weight (1-2% mpg improvement per 100 lbs. of reduced weight).

*Liz Blossom, January 8, 2020, "30 ways to make your life more environmentally friendly," 247wallst.com

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Avoid airplane travel

3/29/2024

As you start to plan your vacations, consider how you travel. Skipping even one airplane flight greatly reduces your carbon footprint.

This 2017 article in Environmental Research Letters* evaluated several individual actions for their relative impact on greenhouse gas emissions. One lifestyle choice that they identified as having a disproportionately large contribution was traveling by plane. They estimate that avoiding one transatlantic flight per year reduces an individual’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by 700–2800 kg CO2e, depending on the length of the flight. Consider the impact of your mode of travel as you plan your vacations this year. Plan a trip that does not require airplane travel or take a “staycation” by just taking day trips from home to explore nearby attractions.

*Seth Wynes and Kimberly A Nicholas. 2017. The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions. Environ. Res. Lett. 12 074024. DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541

Photo by V.L., Flickr

Emissions from windshield washer fluid

2/23/2024

Windshield washer fluid accounts for a surprisingly large percentage of toxic vehicle emissions.

A startling new study by the American Chemical Society spotlights an underestimated source of vehicular emissions: windshield washer fluid. The researchers argue that even as more and more drivers switch from gasoline to electric vehicles, the emission levels of these non-fuel-derived gases will likely remain consistent.

Read more here.

Drive at 55 MPH for better fuel effieciency

5/12/2023

Staying at 55 miles per hour or under on the highway vastly improves your fuel efficiency.

If you drive a car on the highway, know that for every 5 miles per hour above 55 that you go, you reduce your fuel efficiency by 10 percent. This has to do with wind resistance.

Read more here:

https://narpro.com/blog/why-do-we-drive-55mph/#

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Don’t top off your car’s gas tank. It can damage your car and the environment.

2/10/2023

That little bit of extra gasoline that you try to squeeze into your tank when you top it off is more likely escaping into the environment or causing damage to your car rather than giving you that extra bit of fuel. According to the EPA, when you top off the tank, “gasoline is probably being sucked back into the gas station’s vapor recovery system or evaporating into the air, causing air pollution.”* Although you may intend to further fill the tank, “if you continue clicking on the nozzle, that extra gasoline will either be sucked into the vapor recovery tube or overflow.”*

Topping off can also cause harm to the charcoal canister of the onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system in your car. Consumer Reports points out that “adding more fuel after the gas pump clicks off can damage the charcoal canister by saturating it with fuel and cause the check engine light to illuminate. If the ORVR is damaged, it won’t adequately capture those harmful vapors.”**

*EPA, June 26, 2004, “Don’t Top off Your Gas Tank -- Save Money at the Gas Pump and Help Protect the Environment”,
https://www.epa.gov/archive/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/714cf2672631269e852570d60070fe91.htmlwww.epa.gov
**Devin Pratt, November 13, 2021, “Should You Top Off Your Car’s Gas Tank?,” Consumer Reports.org https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/should-you-top-off-your-cars-gas-tank-a1176503026/

Photo by Mike Mozart, Flickr Commons

Walking is climate action

1/13/2023

Increasing the number of local trips we take on foot can greatly contribute to better air quality, less noise pollution, and other long-term benefits for our communities.

Read more here:

--https://www.best.bc.ca/storiesandnews/the-environmental-benefits-of-walking-3-reasons-to-walk-more

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

You are more likely to find a bargain buying an older electric vehicle, made more attractive by the new EV tax credits

9/1/2022

Buying an electric vehicle is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint by decreasing burning of fossil fuels. Just as for gas-powered cars, there are some advantages to buying a used EV. David Kuchta describes these advantages on TreeHugger.com. You may be able to save money on the purchase of used EV because, "given the quick pace of advances in battery technology, EVs depreciate faster than gasoline cars, so you are more likely to find a bargain."* As more charging stations are installed, the need for a longer battery range is reduced. Kuchta points out that "while older electric vehicles have less range than newer models, advances in vehicle range have leveled off in recent years; manufacturers realize that few people need vehicles with ranges over 200 or more miles."* In general, the cost of running and maintaining an EV, new or used, is lower than that for gas-powered cars, and the overall price can be further reduced by taking advantage of federal tax breaks.

*https://www.treehugger.com/buying-a-used-electric-car-6499502?hid=5cca5cc09cf857f7c3ce2406e7447b3b9236437e&did=828004-20220822&utm_campaign=treehugger-daily_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=082222&cid=828004&mid=95184956872

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, Flickr

Keeping old cars longer can help the environment more than buying new electric cars

6/30/2022

If you own a fuel efficient gas-powered car, a study from the Journal of Industrial Ecology suggests that you should hold onto it longer rather than running out to buy an electric vehicle right away. It takes a lot of energy to make a new car, and these researchers determined that 24% of a car's lifetime carbon emissions is a result of the manufacturing process. Even building electric cars has a carbon footprint.

As reported by studyfinds.org, the study concludes "that if car owners keep their vehicles on the road 10 percent longer before sending them to the scrapyard, the overall carbon footprint of cars would decrease by 30.7 million tons. That’s the equivalent of a one-percent decrease in CO2 emissions. Researchers say the reason of this is manufacturing new vehicles actually produces more greenhouse gases than continuing to drive existing cars — even if they use gasoline. The environment would also see a benefit if owners of brand new cars kept their vehicles longer before trading them in. Study authors say there would be a one-percent drop in carbon footprint if new car owners hold on to their rides 10 percent longer."*

*https://www.studyfinds.org/keeping-old-cars-help-environment-more-than-new-electric-cars/

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, Flickr

Properly inflate your tires to reduce carbon emissions

3/24/2022

According to Treehugger.com, improperly inflated tires can add approximately 1.5 tons of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere per 12,000 miles driven. This occurs because underinflated tires require more energy to move, increasing the vehicle’s gas mileage. To avoid these additional emissions and save yourself some money from the cost of additional fuel, check your car’s tire pressure monthly and maintain it at the PSI recommended by the manufacturer. To get the most accurate reading, check the pressure before driving when the tires are cold.

Source: Larry West, https://www.treehugger.com/keep-tires-inflated-save-the-planet-1203959
Photos by Sean O'Donnell

<<Previous