Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Great Green Tips to Start the New Year

Cold sunny still day, birds at the feeder.


I'll start off with my green tip for today which certainly is not an original thought on my part, but a good one - tis the season. So...

Clear all snow and ice from your car for better fuel efficiency. For everyone 100 pounds extra of anything (that includes the books and other things "stored" in the car), in this case snow (and ice behind the wheels), your car's fuel efficiency is reduced 1-2%. And that's just from the weight. Now add the loss of aerodynamics and who knows what percentage you are throwing out the window.

I've always been irritated by those lazy drivers who don't take the snow off their car's roofs only later to have it fly in your face. Either the fluffy snow slowly comes off like a constant white out or it flies off as a dangerous ice chunk. And if you have ever seen one of these ice sheets sailing in the air, you know that driving no where close to this person doesn't even work. You're still in danger.

So fuel efficiency adds a new dimension. So the green tip of the day: Take it all off!
Snow off your car that is.

And for other green tips? This is the best list and relevant links I have ever seen published. Lots of it is review, some are good reminders and some are just plain new. Please read:

77 Best Green Tips of the Year

Good stuff. Happy New Green Year.

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