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So, driving is never green. The reality is most people need to drive at some point, but there are ways you can have less of an environmental impact when driving. Here are some green driving tips:
- Drive the speed limit I know it is hard, I am definitely guilty of not following this all the time. But, there is a big difference in the amount of gas used to push the speed to 75 mph than there is to drive 65 mph- around a 10% difference in miles per gallon (mpg)! These high speeds can also increase tail pipe pollution.
- Use Overdrive on highways and big roads If you have the ability to shift your automatic into overdrive gear when you are on highways and big roads where you are not stopping, this will also increase your mpg.
- Got stick? Go high! If you drive a manual, get into higher gear as soon as possible, because driving with a higher rph gives you a higher mpg.
- Anticipate Stops If you see a red light, stop sign, or traffic ahead, take your foot off the gas and coast in as much as possible to avoid extra use of gas and hard braking.
- Combine your errands If you have errands to run, rather than doing them at seperate times during the day or week, make one really long trip. You car will still be warmed up when you get in your car which decreases the amount of energy it needs to use. Plus, you may have a couple of stops near each other, which saves you gas from driving there again.
- Never floor the pedal to the metal Although it may look and feel cool like you see in the movies – it uses a SERIOUS amount of gas, as much as a half an hour of normal driving.
- Avoid rush hour You do not have to be a rocket scientist to realize that your mpg goes way down when you are in start and stop traffic. Maybe try to come into work an hour earlier and leave an hour earlier to avoid the terrible gas guzzling pollution emitting traffic.
- Keep your car and trunk clean The extra load you carry around in your trunk, backseat, front seat, etc. increases the weight of your car and therefore decreases your mpg.
- Open your doors When it is hot outside, open all of your car doors for a few minutes before turning on the car to let out hot air. Once you start the car, keep the windows open for a few minutes to continue cooling off the car before turning on your air conditioning. This will decrease the amount of fuel consumption your air conditioning will need to cool down your car.
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