How Earth Friendly Are You?
“Cars are multiplying faster than people. They’re outbreathing us, too. They’re using up our land area. They’re using up our economic strength.”
— Ernest Callenbach (Author of Ectopia)
Transportation
The American Lung Association estimates that air pollution from motor vehicles, power plants, and industrial consumption costs the United States $40 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity.
Each of the ten statements below is a general statement related to our lifestyle. Try to describe your current choices.
Answers range from:
| 1 | 5 | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Never | Sometimes | Always |
Read the 10 statements below. In the adjacent box, write the number corresponding to your answer. E.g. ‚ 1= Never. When you finish, add the numbers to get a score.
| Questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| I keep my car tuned up and keep track of gas mileage. | 1. _____________ |
| I check the inflation of my tires every two weeks. | 2. _____________ |
| I try not to let the car idle unnecessarily. | 3. _____________ |
| I try to replace my tires with steel belted or radial tires. | 4. _____________ |
| I make an attempt to have the car serviced where the motor oil and antifreeze are recycled. | 5. _____________ |
| I reduce auto weight when possible. | 6. _____________ |
| I don’t have the car’s air conditioner “serviced.” | 7. _____________ |
| I try using alternate means of transportation just one day a week. | 8. _____________ |
| I let politicians know I want more and better quality mass transit. | 9. _____________ |
| I plan errands so the fewest miles possible are driven. | 10. _____________ |
Tips for Living More Lightly
- A well-tuned car uses up to 9% less gasoline and if there is a sudden drop in gas mileage, you can catch it and get the problem fixed quickly.
- Under inflated tires can waste up to 5% of the car’s fuel.
- It takes less gas to start a car than to let it idle.
- Installing the most efficient tires can boost fuel economy of most cars 1-3 miles per gallon.
- The motor oil can be refined and the antifreeze can be re-distilled.
- An extra 100 pounds in weight decreases fuel economy about 1% for the average car.
- Coolants from auto AC units release CFCs into the atmosphere, contributing to 16% of the earth’s ozone destruction.
- If 1% of Americans left their cars idle for one day a week, it would save an estimated 42 million gallons of gas a year and it would decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 840 million pounds per year.
- A Greenpeace study concluded that it takes $100 million to build one mile of highway and $15 million to build one mile of light rail transit.
- Fewer miles traveled by car result in less gasoline burned; less smog, soot, and carbon dioxide pollution; and better health for our world.
Resources
The Consumers Guide to Effective Environmental Choices, The Union of Concerned Scientists, ISBN:0-609-80281-X
