finances

3 Things You Can Do To Make Your Gas-Powered Car A Little Cleaner

While not everyone may be able to afford to get an electric or even a hybrid car at the moment, there are things that anyone with a vehicle can do to help reduce their personal carbon footprint as it relates to the emissions from their vehicle. So regardless of how much of an impact you might feel like you can have on the oil and gas industry, you can make small changes in your own habits that can make a difference.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three things you can do to make your gas-powered car a little cleaner for the environment.

Use It Less Often

The first and arguably best thing that you can do to help have a smaller impact on the environment is to simply use your car less.

While many people can’t get away with not having a car, there likely are things that you can do to use your car less often or for shorter distances. Doing things like working from home when possible, carpooling when you have to go somewhere, taking public transportation when available, not making multiple trips when you can do everything in one trip, and choosing to bike or walk when you can can all help you to use your car less. And while one of these things by themselves might not seem like that big of a deal, when you add them all together, they can help.

Keep Your Car Well Maintained

Another thing you can do that can help your car have less of a negative impact on the environment is to keep your car well maintained. When your car is well maintained, it will function more efficiently, which can help it to use less gas and produce fewer harmful emissions.

Some of the best things that you can do to keep your car well maintained include keeping your tires properly inflated, maintaining your radiator and cooling system, and fixing any faulty fuel system components. You can also do things like removing excess weight from your car to help it run even more efficiently when you’re on the road.

Go Easy On Your Pedals

The way you drive your car can also have an impact on how harmful it is to the environment.

When people drive aggressively, meaning that they jump on the gas and brake pedals more frequently than would otherwise be necessary, they use up to 30 percent more gas than they needed to. To keep from doing this while you’re driving, try to use cruise control whenever you can to keep your speed under control.

If you’re wanting to do all you can for the environment even while driving a gas-powered car, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in doing this.

Derek Markham

Things I dig include: simple living, natural fatherhood, attachment parenting, natural building, unassisted childbirth (homebirth), bicycles, permaculture, organic and biodynamic gardening, vegan peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, bouldering, and the blues. Find me elsewhere at @NaturalPapa, @DerekMarkham, Google+, or RebelMouse.

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