Day 33- Find the most environmentally friendly way to get to
church today.
Walk, bike, take public transportation or carpool. Pray for
those already being affected by climate change through floods, droughts and
changes to harvest patterns.
Day 34 - Keep your highway driving speed between 55
and 60 mph today.
For most vehicles, 55 mph
is the most fuel efficient highway speed and will save you up to 20-30% in fuel
costs compared to driving at 75 mph. Automobile emissions are one of the
leading causes of greenhouse gases. Don't idle your car at traffic lights
and drive-up windows. If you have to stop for more than 10 seconds, you
will save gas and reduce greenhouse emissions by turning off your engine.
Day 35 -Check the tire
pressure in your car.
Fill it to the recommended
psi. Low tire pressure means higher fuel
consumption.
Day 36 - Consider giving up your car (and congratulations if
you already have!).
The General Manager of Boston's MBTA just gave up his and now uses
a ZipCar when he needs an
automobile. "It's pretty easy. You go online and pick the kind
of car and location you want and select the time, then wave your ZipCard at the
windshield to unlock the doors." In Boston, "They're all over
the place; there's probably 50 within walking distance of my home.
Day 37 -Double up journeys.
Do shopping on your way home from work, school or somewhere else
you have to go today. Share lifts with
friends or try to do all of your errands together. Learning to reduce the
amount of miles we travel is one of the most effective ways we can reduce our
carbon footprint. The average person makes 44 car trips per year which
are each under a mile. It's estimated that greener driving could save
over 2 million tons of carbon emissions per year in the UK.
Day 38 -Say no to
bottled water and drink tap water.
Buy
a refillable washable bottle to use instead. More than 150 billion liters
of bottled water are sold worldwide every year. This contributes significantly
to landfill and transport emissions. To eliminate undesirable chemicals
and additives in your drinking water, purchase a low
cost filtering system.
Day 39 -Look for alternatives
to using your car.
Cycle, walk, run, share lifts with colleagues or use public
transportation. A short, four-mile round
trip by foot keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe (WorldWatch
Institute).
Contact a
local ride-share organization such as www.ridebuzz.org. To learn more about the
environmental benefits of walking, see the Commuter Choice
Program.
