Top Tips for Green Driving

The modes of transportation you use to get from A to B, can have different effects on the environment. Obviously the best way to completely reduce your carbon footprint is to walk everywhere. But in today’s fast paced world, that just isn’t feasible. Instead you can make small changes to your travel, use a ride share service, keep your car in good condition or consider carpooling to work or school.

Ride Share Apps

There are so many ride share apps out there now, it’s hard to choose which one is best for you. These apps help get a small percentage of cars off the road, by picking up more than one person at a time. For example, Lyft is one of the biggest names within the industry. It lets you instantly connect with drivers to receive their destination; it also offers a linking service that connects other riders that are on a similar route to you, dropping your rate and reducing the impact of the drive on the environment.

Don’t Use Your Car for Shorter Journeys

If you have time, walk or cycle to where to need to go. When driving just five minutes down the road it doesn’t give the engine a chance to warm up properly, therefore it’ll be running inefficiently. This means the car will be burning more fuel and creating more pollution than on a longer drive.

Trade Your Car in for a More Efficient Engine

Older cars are likely to guzzle up more fuel per mile than a newer car. Cars being manufactured within the last couple of years will generally have cleaner and more efficient engines compared to older cars. However, this doesn’t mean you can go and splurge on a new fashionable model. Try and find a more environmentally friendly car. Brands such as Seat, Fiat and Skoda are within the top ten manufacturers with the most fuel efficient models.

Carpool

Consider car sharing to work or school. This is similar to the ride share app, but with people you work with or attend school with. You can arrange a specific time and set the number of people you want to travel with, and you will also be able to alternate who drives. Carpooling cuts down on the number of vehicles on the road, meaning less carbon and other harmful gasses are polluting the air. There are also other benefits to this; carpooling will help you save money by dividing up gas fees between the people you are sharing with, and it will also help you make new friends.

Lighten the Load

Make sure you remove any unnecessary weight from your car. Take that roof rack off and the junk out the trunk! The heavier the car is, the harder the engine has to work; meaning that it will consume more fuel and emit more carbon. Think about it, if your car is heavier, it uses more fuel right? So if you make it lighter you’ll be saving money, as the engine won’t be consuming as much fuel.

These tips will not only benefit the environment but also your wallet. So you can breathe easy knowing that you’re not only reducing your carbon footprint but saving money as well!