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GREEN TIP
OF THE MONTH: Improve Your Fuel Economy
Better fuel economy and cleaner fuels are essential to
curbing the worst effects of global warming. And while
much of this responsibility is on the shoulders of the
government and the automobile industry, as conscious
individuals, we should each put more responsibility on
ourselves. I'm not saying this means you need to apply
for a research grant to develop a cleaner fuel in the
basement of your home. What I am saying, however, is
that this means we can all stand to change our driving
habits, namely, to drive less. There are several ways to
make this happen. Some of the more obvious ways are to
ride a bike, take public transportation more often,
start a car pool at work and rent fuel-efficient cars.
You may want to consider purchasing an electric bike to
use for all your local driving, or even purchasing an
electric hybrid car. Especially if the bulk of your
round-trips are less than 10 miles, an electric bike is
ideal. And if you purchase green power through your
local utility, you are in the gold if you go electric.
If you must drive longer distances and electric is not
an option, try biodiesel, which is the cleanest fuel
there is, and is more accessible than ever. Producing
less greenhouse gases than a hybrid Toyota Prius, diesel
cars that are run on biodiesel are a great short-term
solution. Even if you don't have a local biodiesel
source, you can get it through a cooperative or even
make your own (Okay, maybe I wasn't kidding about making
fuel in your basement after all). And as always,
offsetting your emissions through an offset program
always helps the environment.
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