earthcare connections

| with your vehicle |

| drive less |
As individuals, we can do a lot to decrease the use of our vehicles and save money, too!

• Think about whether some of your commuting or short trips are absolutely necessary. For example, can you buy groceries every two weeks instead of every week? Can you “chain” your errands to the post office, dry cleaners and shoe repair? It could save time, too!

• Try car pooling, whether for work or to take your kids to their soccer practice.

• Use public transit a few times more each week.

• Walk or bicycle to the corner store and to work more often, if possible

• Try a group walk to school (a walking school bus with parents taking turns at supervision) as an alternative to the school bus.

• Give up the second car—it frees up significant money for investing in your mortgage, or elsewhere, and encourages family members to try transportation alternatives.

• Next time you move, consider moving to an area that is closer to work, school and other activities and would let you and your household reduce car use.

| drive smarter |
We can also look at the way we use our vehicles so that they are less polluting.

• Don’t idle: turn off your engine while waiting outside the shopping mall or ice rink.

• Only use your car’s air conditioner when it’s really necessary— it increases fuel usage significantly —and have it serviced regularly.

• Don’t overfill your gas tank— the first time the pump stops, don’t restart it (spillage is a major source of ozone pollution).

• Drive the speed limit and avoid sudden starts and stops. Driving at moderate speeds uses less fuel and saves you money. You will use 25 to 30 percent less gas if you drive at 100 instead of 110 km/h.

• Block heaters reduce air pollution by reducing the amount of fuel required to warm up the engine. Use a timer to turn on your block heater for one to two hours before morning start-ups when temperatures fall well below freezing.