Do you ever find yourself stuck in traffic and wonder how all that exhaust affects your health and the environment? Some of you are surrounded by thousands of vehicles on the highway every single day. So what can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
First, understand the facts
Remember that any action that reduces climate-change pollution from driving is likely to reduce other types of auto pollution as well. According to the GHG Protocol, 19.56 pounds of CO2 are produced for each gallon of gasoline. Transportation is the fastest-growing source of U.S. greenhouse gases (GHGs), accounting for 47% of the net increase in total U.S. emissions since 1990. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency purports that transportation is also the largest end-use source of CO2, which is the most prevalent greenhouse gas.
Second, reduce as much as you can
Here are a few easy things you can do every day to reduce the amount of carbon emissions you produce from driving:
- Keep your car’s maintenance schedule up-to-date to help it run more efficiently. That means replacing your air, oil, and fuel filters on schedule.
- Have your tires properly inflated to prevent 400-700 pounds of CO2 pollution annually.
- Drive at 60 mph or less to save fuel. Studies indicate that going over 60 mph for extended periods can reduce fuel mileage by 1-2%. By accelerating slowly and smoothly, driving the speed limit, maintaining a steady speed, and anticipating your stops and starts, you could save more than a ton of CO2 per year.
Third, offset what you can’t reduce
You’ve still got to get from one place to the next — to work, the supermarket, the dentist’s office. So while you’re reducing as much as you can, consider offsetting what you can’t. By offsetting your driving emissions, you can begin to balance your carbon footprint. If you’re really ambitious, you could even bring your entire footprint down to a net of zero. And if you do that with NativeEnergy, you also help build new renewable energy projects that support economies for communities in need.
More about NativeEnergy
Since 2000, NativeEnergy has used our distinctive Help Build model to support the construction of new wind farms, other renewable generation, and carbon reduction projects. We offer our customers carbon-solutions consulting services and carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs). By helping finance construction of Native American, family farm, and community-based renewable energy and carbon reduction projects, our customers help communities in need build sustainable economies. We also have significant Native American ownership, providing tribes the ability to share in the business value we are creating.