It's Easy To Be Green, Week 1

Don't listen to Kermit! Several MLGW employees signed up to participate in Lichterman Nature Center’s It’s Easy To Be Green program that offers practical steps for making a positive impact on the environment in one’s daily life. Everyone who signed up received a workbook with weekly action items to try at home. After twelve weeks of adopting green behaviors, participants will celebrate at Lichterman’s EarthFest 2008 festival on April 19th.

I’ll be posting the weekly action items here for those of you who want to follow along. I will also be doing some special investigating that I will share here as well.

The first week focuses on your automobile. Americans buy 140 billion gallons of gasoline for their vehicles every year. Reducing gasoline usage is good for the planet and saves you money. If you cannot trade in that old gas guzzler for a more fuel-efficient vehicle, here are some actions you can take.

Action Items

• Maintain your vehicle. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for changing the engine oil, air filter, and spark plugs on a regular basis. A vehicle that is maintained properly operates more efficiently. It burns less gas and emits fewer pollutants.

• Slow down. Your vehicle uses less gas at 50mph than at 70 mph. Greater speed means greater air resistance. In turn, the engine uses more fuel because it has to work harder to maintain the vehicle’s speed.

• Use cruise control. Maintaining a steady speed saves gas. Avoid those jackrabbit starts and screeching stops.

• Avoid long engine warm-ups. Today’s vehicles don’t need them.

• Shut off the engine if you are idling for more than three minutes.

• Properly inflate tires. They will last longer and save you money on gas.

• Consolidate your errands. Before you hit the road, organize a “to-do” list. Plan routes that will shorten your travel time and use less gas.

• Lighten up! Empty the trunk and backseat. Every 100 pounds of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%. Every pound counts.

• Consider how you can drive less by doing things such as combining trips, biking or walking, joining a car pool, or using mass transit.

• If you change your vehicle’s oil, properly dispose of the waste oil and other fluids at designated drop-off locations, such as the Memphis and Shelby County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility.

In the United States, vehicles are responsible for 25% of the greenhouse gases produced. Cars and other vehicles are a major source of pollutants that create smog and acid rain as well as release other harmful substances.