Did you know you can save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by changing how you drive and maintain your car? Of course, the ideal is to reduce the number of trips and kilometres driven by car. But if you are going to drive, there are a few simple tips you can use to improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of your travel.

Vehicle fuel efficiency relates directly to the amount of carbon dioxide produced, the principal greenhouse gas. The average car produces about 2.4 kilograms of CO2 for every litre of gasoline used (Natural Resources Canada). So the more gas that is burned, the more emissions produced.

The Auto$mart Guide produced by Natural Resources Canada is loaded with information on buying a fuel-efficient vehicle, smart driving tips, keeping your car in shape and alternatives to gasoline. This is critical information given that emissions from transportation are growing faster than any other source.

Tips to reduce your vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions:

• Avoid unnecessary driving. Consider whether you really need to make the trip or if you could walk, cycle, take public transit or carpool instead.
• Keep your car in top operating condition. A poorly maintained vehicle can increase fuel consumption by up to 15% and environmental emissions by even more.
• Avoid long idles – turn off the engine. More emissions are produced when the vehicle is idling than when you are driving it. Contrary to old thinking, idling burns more gas than restarting the engine. Plus it can actually damage today’s electronic engines.
• Observe the speed limit and adopt a smooth driving style. Avoiding rapid acceleration or braking and driving at lower speeds can increase fuel efficiency by 30%.
• Remove the roof rack when not in use. The heavier the car, the more fuel burned.
• Use your air conditioning sparingly. Keep the air conditioning for those few really hot days we get in Manitoba summers.
• Ensure your tires are properly inflated. Just one under-inflated tire can increase the vehicle’s fuel consumption by 3% or more. Check your tires regularly in winter since cold temperatures reduce air pressure in tires. Underinflated tires add to the rolling resistance through the snow.
• Don’t bother ‘warming up’ the engine. Natural Resources Canada notes that today’s vehicles need only 30 seconds to warm up. The best and quickest way to warm up your vehicle is to drive it. Drive slowly for the first 5 kilometres to allow the engine to reach peak operating temperature.
• Use “Energy Conserving” motor oil. Using the lowest multigrade oil can help improve fuel efficiency, particularly when starting the engine cold.

• Be sure to recycle used oil if you choose to do an oil change yourself. One litre of engine oil can contaminate two million litres of water.
• While it may sound counter intuitive, open a window as soon as you enter a vehicle to avoid the windows from fogging.
• Use an automatic timer for your block heater rather than plugging in your car overnight. Two hours is all that is needed to warm the engine.

• Auto$mart Guide from Natural Resources Canada
  • Call 1-800-387-2000 toll free for a printed copy
  • Find it online: Tips and Resources for Drivers {http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/personal/driving/autosmart-drivers.cfm?attr=8}
• To recycle used oil: www.usedoilrecycling.com
• To properly dispose of old car parts such as batteries and tires: www.mb.reducingwaste.ca
• Donate your old car in exchange for a vehicle voucher, tax receipt, bus pass/discount or a bicycle with the MB Lung Association’s Bye Bye Beaters program
• Or donate your old car for a tax receipt through the Kidney Foundation of Canada's program

To prevent dangerous climate change, it is essential that we stop relying on trucks to ship goods from one end of the country to the other as much as we do. Heavy duty trucks alone are responsible for as much as 8% of Manitoba's emissions. But while trucks are on the road, Deflecktor, a US based company has developed a simple step to take a small amount of the load off our greenhouse gas inventory.   

A finalist in the 2009 Financial Times Climate Change Challenge green product contest, Deflecktors are cheap, lightweight covers to fit over truck wheels, reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency.  For about $50, fuel efficiency can be increased by 1%.  If all long haul trucks in Canada used these devises, we could prevent the emission of about 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (CO₂ equivent) each year. More information: the Deflektor and other FT Climate Change Challenge winners.