Archive for co2 emissions
10 Top Ways To Save On Winter Driving Costs
Posted by: | CommentsDuring the winter we are trying to find ways to live a sustainable lifestyle while dealing with the elements and saving money. Heating costs are ever rising and anything you can do to help stick to your budget is helpful. One of the major winter expenses people incur has to do with driving. Yes, taking public transit is a more eco-friendly solution, but for those not living in an urban center this is not always a reliable means of transportation.
Image Credit: newwr.ca
Reducing consumption will decrease your carbon emissions and help preserve fossil fuels by using less gas. Here are ten tips to help you drive greener and save green this winter:
1) Don’t buy “special” winter gas. Continue using whatever fuel you usually do because those touted for winter use do not do anything extra. Gas prices are higher in the winter, so if you are on a budget, continue buying the grade of gas you usually do and make sure to leave your tank half-full at all times.
2) Don’t warm up your car. First and foremost idling your car is not good for the environment. Second, it is against many Ontario municipality by-laws to idle for prolonged periods of time so you may not just be wasting gas, but also looking at a hefty fine if you are caught. Third, it takes longer to warm-up the car when it’s idling, it will heat faster if you are driving the vehicle.
3) Climate control. Using the defroster will burn 20% more fuel. When your windows are clear turn off the defroster until you need it again.
4) Get the junk out of your trunk. Every 45 Kilograms of extra weight means you will use 2% more fuel. Not only will your car look better but you’ll save money.
5) Stock up when windshield wash is on sale. The most expensive place to purchase windshield washer fluid is at a gas station. So try to use your gas station points program points to get free windshield wash or buy it at a big box retailer. You can even purchase environmentally friendly windshield wash that contains only trace amounts of the toxic chemical Methanol found in the traditional variety.
6) Keep your vehicle running in good condition. In the fall go in for your tune up. Not only will this help reduce the chance of breaking down in the winter; but also when a car is running properly it burns less fuel. Don’t forget that a car that runs well should also have a lower emission rate, which is better for the environment.
7) Tire pressure. Tires tend to deflate in the cold weather. When your tires are low you can use up to 5% more gas. By keeping them topped up you are not only prolonging the life of your tires, keeping you and your passengers safe, but are saving on fuel costs.
8) Winter tires. By having a set of winter tires instead of all-season ones, you reduce your chance of collisions and are better equipped to deal with icy Canadian roads. Yes, they are expensive, but they should last you four winter seasons and prolong the life of your all-season tires by at least one year.
9) Drive slowly. Every 10 km/h over that you drive burns 10% more fuel. Driving slowly in the winter will help you avoid accidents, and save money.
10) Emergency roadside assistance. By having a roadside plan you will save money on towing or other costs, and help is only a phone call away. This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but statistically cars are more likely to breakdown in the winter. Think of it like extra insurance. Keep in mind that there are many plans available by a host of companies so you should shop around.
These are some easy tips to help you save money this winter season while staying safe. Remember that everything you do to help conserve gas, and lower your CO2 emissions is helping the environment. Be safe this winter.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: carbon emissions, carbon footprint, Climate Change, co2 emissions, conserve fuel, drive green, drive greener, Driving Costs, eco-friendly solution, Fossil Fuels, green driving, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions, planet forward, preserve fossil fuels, reduce consumption, reusable bags, reusable bottles, reusable shopping bags, reusable stainless steel bottles, reusable water bottles, save fuel, save gas, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, waste-free lunch bagsSeason’s greetings and welcome back for another edition of our weekly green news highlights. This week: should graffiti be illegal if it aligns art with nature? Which countries are leading the fight against climate change? And will video games be revolutionized to include thought-provoking and educational material on environmental issues?
Wunderbaum in Brooklyn, NY Image Credit: Mossitka
Urban Times asked – Green Graffiti: Is it illegal? Edina Tokodi is the founder of NYC’s Mossitka, “a collective of eco-minded street artists dedicated to green guerilla tactics and inspired public art. Mossitka’s installations, animated and playfully, call to mind a more familiar, environmentally friendly state breaking down cold urban norms.” Stunning moss designs are easily noticed on the streets of Brooklyn beautifully blending art with nature in urban neighbourhoods. Todoki explains: “I think that our distance from nature is already a cliché. City dwellers often have no relationship with animals or greenery. As a public artist I feel a sense of duty to draw attention to deficiencies in our everyday life.” Traditional graffiti has been condemned for devaluing urban landscapes, but ‘green’ graffiti actually “forges a strong connection between the urban neighbourhood and nature. It does not deface public property, and therefore, should not be classified as illegal art in any shape or form.” It’s sustainable art. You can see more of Mossitka’s work here.
Which countries fail the most at climate leadership? According to the most recent Climate Change Performance Index released December 6, 2011, Europeans dominate the fight against climate change with Sweden, the U.K., and Germany topping the list. No country on the list was awarded a ranking of 1st 2nd or 3rd with the label that no one is doing enough to combat climate change. The US and Canada didn’t even rank in the top 50, at 52nd and 54th respectively. Denmark had demonstrated the most improvement and Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Estonia had the worst CO2 emissions.
This is how the Climate Change Performance Index works:
“On the basis of standardized criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries that are, together, responsible for more than 90 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions. 80 percent of the evaluation is based on objective indicators of emissions trend and emissions level (50 percent for emissions trend, 30 percent for emissions level). 20 percent of the index results are built upon national and international climate policy assessments by more than 200 experts from the respective countries.”
One Day, Video Games Will Beat Climate Change. Why not use video games to educate kids on climate change? Soho House NYC recently played host to ‘Gaming for Good’ run by design blog leaders PSFK. PSFK and Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project collaborated on a contest to solicit gaming concepts from designers around the world. The designers’ challenge was to create a game that still engaged players while concurrently battling the climate crisis. PSFK recently published a report called ‘The Future of Gaming’ which concluded “brands, non-profits and communities can leverage to build engagement and motivate their target audience towards achieving a desired goal or outcome.” In other words, video games can be used for good and it doesn’t have to mean it’s a boring educational program.
Stay tuned for more green news.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: Al Gore, Al Gore Climate Reality Project, climate, Climate Change, Climate Change Performance Index, climate crisis, Climate Reality Project, co2 emissions, eco-friendly video games, eco-minded, Edina Tokodi, emissions, environmental issues, environmentally friendly, Gaming for Good, green art, green graffiti, green guerilla, green guerilla tactics, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, Mossitka, organic fashions, planet forward, PSFK, reusable bags, reusable bottles, reusable shopping bags, reusable stainless steel bottles, reusable water bottles, stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, sustainable art, Sustainable Practice, sustainable product, video games, waste-free lunch bagsWelcome back for another edition of weekly green news featuring some articles from the past week focusing on the green movement. This week: the world’s most energy efficient office courtesy of Sanyo; Harvard studies BPA levels with canned soup consumption; and prison inmates creating an eco-friendly product line in Eastern Europe. Click on the links to learn more.
Kasai Green Energy Park Photo Credit: Sanyo
Amanda Wills from Earth911 headed just outside Osaka, Japan to check out the World’s Most Efficient Office named ‘Kasai Green Energy Park’. This Sanyo operation “serves as a massive testing facility for energy-saving technology.” The Kasai Green Energy Park includes “1MW Mega Solar System, a 1.5MWh Lithium-ion Mega Battery System with the world’s largest level of capacity, energy management system that efficiently control each equipment, and a smart energy system which combines and coordinates all of the systems above using an SES controller. By using all of these systems to maximize energy efficiency, we are able to reduce approximately 2,480 tons of CO2 emissions every year without sacrificing convenience and comfort.” Amanda took some great pictures of Kasai Green Energy Park during her visit.
Kasai Green Energy Park also features side solar panels on the outside of the Sanyo building, a solar parking lot, hybrid bike recharging stations (popular in Japan), electricity storage at night for use during the day, plus small tables with built-in solar panels that store energy which can be used to charge any electronic device while it’s on the table. Heck it even knows when people come and go to help control air conditioning. The lobby also includes a wall of TV screens indicating the energy savings the facility is currently generating. You can read more about the Kasai Green Energy Park here.
BPA levels soar after lunching on canned soup. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study in a quest to determine how much canned food will increase the level of the compound bisphenol A (BPA) in a person’s urine. The results were higher than expected. Study participants ate a serving of canned soup every day for five days; they reported “BPA levels of 20.8 micrograms per liter of urine, whereas people who instead ate fresh soup had levels of 1.1 micrograms per liter, according to the study.” Researchers noted a 1,221 percent jump in BPA levels over those who ate fresh soup. “To see an increase in this magnitude was quite surprising,” said study leader Karin Michels, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
In some offbeat green news, Eastern European prison inmates produce and design an eco-conscious fashion line. That’s right, Heavy Eco provides edgier eco-friendly fashion options constructed by prison inmates. Why not turn the process of rehabilitation in prison into an environmental positive? Discarded PVC advertising billboards are recycled and upcycled to make messenger bags, wallets, iPad bags, Mac sleeves and tote bags. Heavy Eco states “Durability and practicality of our bags is most important to us. As a basic bag material we use dead, discarded billboards, made from PVC, that are designed to stand up for any weather conditions, be it heavy rain, snow or wind. We know that our bags last a lifetime, so we feel secure in giving all our bags a lifetime warranty.” They also sell custom designed t-shirts and underwear made from 100% organic cotton from India. Co-financed by the European Social Fund, inmates are paid for their efforts in both the design and manufacturing of the eco-friendly product line.
And that’s a few tidbits from this past week in the green news.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
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