Fighting climate change

Fighting climate change on the road

Transportation is the source of about half of all climate-change pollution emitted in the US — the average car releases 35 pounds of carbon dioxide each day. Driving “green” reduces your contribution to climate change and saves you money.

Green your ride

A car using 20 miles per gallon (mpg) releases about 50 tons of climate-change pollution over its lifetime. A car running at 40 mpg releases about half that much, and saves about $3,000 in fuel costs. Fuel-efficient, low-carbon-emission cars on the market serve almost every need. Consider one if you’re looking for a new car.

Skip a trip

Try cutting out one car trip per week to fight climate change. Skipping a single 20-mile trip each week can cut damaging pollution by 1,200 pounds annually — and, in the process, can save you over $100 in gas.

Chill out

Jackrabbit starts, speeding, frequent braking, and other forms of aggressive driving can reduce gas mileage by 33% on the highway and 5% in town. This burns 125 extra gallons of gas and costs more $250 annually per car and contributes much more climate-change pollution than non-aggressive driving.

Share the road

A typical 2005-model year car costs about 31¢ per mile in gas, maintenance, and depreciation to drive. By carpooling, drivers share these costs and take extra cars off the road. Everyone involved saves fuel and money, and cuts emissions of climate-change pollution.

Don’t be idle

Idling a car gets the worst gas mileage possible: 0 miles per gallon! In fact, idling more than 10 seconds uses more gas, and produces more climate-change pollution, than turning on your car and restarting it.

Public trans-it!

In general, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation produce half the climate-change pollution per passenger mile than private cars. Join the fight for clean air — use public transportation.

Lighten up

Check out what’s in your trunk. Each extra 100 pounds your car carries can reduce gas mileage by up to 2%. And remember to keep your tires properly inflated at all times — you can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3%.

Slow it down

Exceeding the highway speed limit by just 5 miles per hour can reduce your car’s average fuel economy by 6%. Next time you’re on the highway, remember that following the speed limit is not only the law — it’s good for your wallet and the environment.

Tune it up

Keeping your car properly tuned can boost your gas mileage by up to 40% — and save well over $300 annually. In fact, replacing your air filter alone can result in 10% more miles per gallon.

Spread the word

Tell your family and friends how they, too, can help fight climate change on the road.