Did you know you don't have to own a hybrid to be a green motorist? There are actually a number of different things you can do to help the environment, and you don't have to drive a special car to do it. Of course, driving a hybrid or a vehicle that gets great gas mileage does help, but here are a few other things you can do that will also contribute to saving the environment, and some of them may actually save you a bit of money too!
Accelerate And Decelerate Slowly Taking off very quickly or slamming on the brakes uses a lot of gas. It's better to speed up or slow down gradually when you can. Another thing that helps save gas is to maintain the same speed. If you use cruise control when you're on the highway, you'll get a little better gas mileage and help the environment a bit.
Do More In Fewer Trips Every time you start up the car, it uses a little bit of extra power. Try to do as many errands in one trip as you can. Even though you'll be starting and stopping more in that one trip, you'll actually be doing less driving overall.
If You're Waiting For Someone Or In A Really Long Drive-Through Line... ...that's not moving, shut off the engine. It wastes gas to sit there with it idling. You may need to leave it running, though, if it's fairly hot or cold. If You Carry A Lot Of Unnecessary Items In Your Car... ...think about taking some of them out. The more weight you have in your car, the more the engine has to work to get it up to speed. Of course, don't take out anything you may need, such as your emergency roadside assistance kit.
Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated If they are under-inflated, it takes the engine more power to move the car forward. You'll also get more mileage out of your tires, which means you won't have to change them as often and will keep old tires out of the landfill. Also keep your tires rotated and aligned. This has the same effect of keeping the tread from wearing down as often.
Change Your Oil And Other Fluids Regularly Doing so keeps your engine running in top condition, which in turn saves on fuel.
Replace Your Spark Plugs When Needed Old spark plugs (if your type of engine uses them) may reduce your car's fuel efficiency by upwards of 30 percent. That will have a fairly big impact on the environment.
Dispose Of Old Items Properly You shouldn't put things like used oil, antifreeze, or old car batteries in your home trash. Some auto stores will dispose of them properly, or the city may have a special disposal area for you to take these items and liquids to.
Finally, Remember That You Can't Do It All If you're not confident in your ability to do something to your vehicle, bering it in to one of our certified professionals. Otherwise, you may actually harm your vehicle, which in turn could lead to leaks and other issues that are harmful to you and the environment around you.
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