The Eco Driver.

Like it or not, if you drive a car, you’re doing harm to the environment. It’s an ugly compromise that most of us have come to accept. Sure, we value clean air, but we need our cars to get to work, to school, to the grocery store. The good news is, there are steps you can take to reduce your vehicle’s impact on the environment.

Smog Nation

Every day in cities across the country, we inch to work on crowded freeways, our windows rolled up to protect us against exhaust fumes. Problem is, we’re not really protected. According to the March issue of Harper’s Magazine, levels of air-pollution inside a moving car on an L.A. freeway are often 10 times higher than the levels outside the car.

As if the assault on our lungs and bronchial passages wasn’t enough, says Dr. Reed Noss of the Society for Conservation Biology, humans aren’t even the species worst hit by this pollution. Vehicles and the roads they drive on cause everything from immediate death to genetic deterioration, fluctuations in habitat conditions, and habitat fragmentation in wildlife populations. (For more on how roads affect wildlife, go to http://www.eco-action.org/dt/roads.html.)

Improvements

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that, overall, national air quality levels have shown improvement for major pollutants since the 1970 Clean Air Act was signed into law. Nevertheless, in 1999, 62 million Americans reportedly lived in areas that had unhealthy air from at least one of six major pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen, smog, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide.

Consider these facts:

• The biggest source of air pollution in a majority of the world’s cities is auto exhaust.
  
  
• Lead contamination from gasoline and tires has been found up to 100 miles from the nearest metropolitan area.
  
  
• Nine of the 10 largest multinational corporations in the world produce either automobiles or gasoline.
  

What Can We Do?

Slowly but surely, lawmakers are passing bills designed to reduce the impact of cars on the environment. Laws in California, for instance, now require that 10 percent of all cars sold by the year 2003 be zero-emission vehicles.

In response to laws such as these, America’s Big Three automakers–Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors–have formed the "Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles" to encourage the development of alternative vehicle technology.

"This is customer-driven environmental responsibility," says Jac Nasser, Ford president and CEO. Now, instead of bragging about making the biggest and fastest vehicles on the road today, manufacturers are competing to make the cleanest.

Your Eco-Driver Checklist

Don’t wait for the politicians and automakers to solve the problem of air pollution. By following these tips, you can make your car a bit more environmentally friendly–even when you’re crawling along in rush-hour traffic. The three key words are reduce, recycle, and maintain.

Reduce

1. Reduce the time your engine runs

If you’re stuck in traffic for more than a minute, simply turn off the engine–you’ll save yourself some gas, and you’ll spare the lungs of the driver behind you. Also, if you live in a climate where temperatures never drop below freezing, it’s not necessary to warm up your engine for more than a couple minutes! Even in cold climates, today’s cars can operate effectively soon after start-up.

2. Plan your trips

For those of you who drive from one end of the mall to the other, remember:

• Walking is a virtue.
  
  
• Park where you can run several errands at once.
  
  
• Try to avoid driving during stop-and-go rush-hour traffic.
  
  
• Let your fingers do the driving–a phone call can confirm if an item you need is in stock, and catalogs and Internet sites offer car-free shopping.
  
  
• Before driving an extra 10 miles to save $5 on a pair of shoes at a discount outlet, consider the hidden costs of fuel and wear and tear on your car--not to mention the environmental costs. Is it really worth it?
  

3. Reduce the load on your engine

Anything that improves your mileage reduces pollution. Piling objects inside or on top of your car increases drag and reduces efficiency. Turn off your air conditioner when possible, and open a window instead. If you’re driving a standard-shift car, stay in the highest gear reasonable for your speed. If you’re driving an automatic and you have overdrive, use it.


4. Reduce your speed

I know, I know. You’ve heard this one so often it’s annoying, but remember: Reducing your speed from 65 mph to 55 mph increases fuel economy by 15%. Every time you increase your speed, you’re burning fuel and money.


5. Consider owning one car per family

Does every member of your family really need a car? Having access to only one car is a built-in incentive for both children and adults to bike or walk. When you do need an extra car, the mountain of money you save on car payments, fuel, and insurance will easily cover an occasional cab or car rental.

Recycle

1. Recycle used parts

Worn-out parts and discarded fluids (including batteries, oil, antifreeze, and tires) can often be recycled. Ask your mechanic or call your local recycling center.


2. Buy recycled

Always buy refined motor oil, and when you need to replace something like a starter or alternator, ask for a re-manufactured part.


3. Recycle your car when it "dies"

Don’t leave a dead car in your backyard! Even if you like the Sanford & Son look, it’s an environmental waste. Consider sending your car to an auto recycler (a.k.a. junkyard) where usable parts can be resold and the remaining metal crushed and recycled. Or you can donate your car to a vocational school that may be able to put life back into it, and you’ll get a tax deduction to boot.

Maintain


1. Maintain your engine

Cars with poorly maintained engines and emissions systems are the road’s worst polluters. Make sure a skilled mechanic runs an emissions-system check on your car.

2. Preventative maintenance vs. scheduled maintenance


Many cars today are sold with 100,000-mile tune-up intervals, but don’t be fooled. Even these cars need regular check-ups to prevent breakdowns and maintain efficiency.


3. Check wheels and tires

Have your wheels aligned–this reduces rolling inefficiencies as well as tire wear–and keep your tires properly inflated. Low tire pressure wastes more than 2 million gallons of gasoline in the US every day.


4. Prevent A/C leaks

If you’re having an older air-conditioning system serviced, make sure your garage uses a "vampire," a device that safely captures CFC coolants. Their release into the atmosphere damages the earth’s protective ozone layer.

Links

How does your car or tire company rate ecologically? Find out at http://www.responsibleshopper.org/.

For information on air-quality trends in cities across the nation, see http://www.epa.gov/airtrends.