How to reduce your environmental impact

If you’re still driving around in a conventional car and can’t afford to upgrade to one of the latest hybrid or electric vehicles then fear not – you can still play your part for the environment without owning a green car.

There are several steps that you can take to reduce your impact on the environment no matter what car you’re driving. Here is a quick guide.

Reduce your environmental impact – before you drive

Give your car a thorough examination before you drive – particularly on long journeys. Here are some tips:

• Evaluate your journey – First of all, think about if you really need to make the trip. If it’s just a short journey, would it be too much of an inconvenience to walk or ride a bike to your destination? If the trip is mandatory and you have to take a car, then look for the shortest possible route. An online road map should provide you with directions. Also aim to avoid congested areas and don’t drive in the rush hour unless you have to. Try and get as much done while you’re driving as possible – it’s best to take one trip to deal with five tasks, than take one trip for each job.
• Consider car sharing schemes – Share a ride with a colleague at work or rotate with other parents on school runs to reduce the number of cars on the road and save money.
• Think about the time you travel – Could you seriously reduce the time you spend on the road if you travelled at a different time of day? A small change by as little as 20mins could slash your journey length and fuel consumption.
• Look for green driving products – Items such as fuel-saving tyres (including those produced by Firestone), environmentally friendly batteries (available form Varta Automotive) and green friendly car polish (such as Zymol wax cleaner) will all reduce your environmental impact. The Zymol cleaner wax is water-based and blended with hydro-carbons so there are no harsh chemical solvents included.

• Weight – The heavier your car, the more fuel you will consume. So look to remove unnecessary items that you don’t need with you for that particular journey – such as golf bags, tools, etc.

• Tyre pressure – Ensure your tyres are set to the correct pressure – for every 6psi they are under-inflated it will increase your fuel consumption by 1%.

• Remove roof racks – Wind resistance from roof racks will increase fuel consumption.

• Maintain the car – Ensure the engine is tuned to improve performance.

Reduce your environmental impact – while you drive

There are also several steps to take while you’re behind the wheel:

• Watch your speed – Pollution is at its highest up to 15mph. It then decreases up to 60mph and then starts to rise again over 60mph. So stick to the speed limit but look to drive between 50mph and 60mph where legally possible to keep emissions down.
• Drive smoothly – Don’t rev the engine as this will use more fuel.
• Limit use of air conditioning and keep windows up – The drag from windows will increase fuel emissions but air conditioning uses fuel too. Opening a window is usually better than putting on the air conditioner but where possible look to avoid both.
• Drive in the highest possible gear.
• Avoid harsh acceleration and braking – This can impact your fuel consumption by as much as 30%. It’s much better to drive consistently. It will also help you to avoid unnecessary wear and tear.
• Switch off the engine – If you’re stuck in a backlog of traffic then switch off the engine if you’re likely to be stationary for more than a couple of minutes. There’s no point in running your engine and wasting fuel while you’re effectively in a parked position.
• Motorway driving – Think about how you drive on the motorway as not only could it affect you from a safety point, but it could effect the environment too. For example, if you drive closely to the car in front and then have to brake sharply it will cause other vehicles to do the same. As mentioned, harsh braking and acceleration can greatly increase fuel consumption levels. So instead look to keep a safe distance between you and the car in front – this will also help you to judge and anticipate events around you and should also allow you to slow down simply by moving your foot off the accelerator rather than having to constantly press on the brake pads.

These are just some of the steps you can take to reduce your environmental impact while on the road.