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Drive Less
Transportation tips |
Choose the right car |
Go Car-Free
Choose the Right Car
Drive a
fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.
People who breathe will thank you.
Finding the best car
Auto Smart
The best place to compare
figures on energy efficiency in cars is at the federal
government's Personal
Vehicle Initiative website.
Join the 6.0 Club
The best cars use less than
6.0 litres of gas per 100km. The
Personal Vehicle
Initiative has several sections that allow you to compare
cars and find the best performers in each category of car.
Mind your wingspan and
blindspot!
The wingspan is the width of the car, usually measured across
the side mirrors. It makes a difference when you are
sharing a lane with a cyclist. The blindspot is the area
behind the car that you cannot see through the mirrors.
Consumer Reports in the U.S. has shown an increase in backover
deaths of small children from SUVs:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/tipsandadvice/11/03/backover/
The best solution is to buck the
trend to puffed-up cars.
Stewardship (Looking After Your Car)
Drive Clean
Keeping your car
well-tuned is a responsibility all car owners share.
Ontario's
Drive Clean Program
requires that all passenger cars and light trucks have their
emissions tested every two years. The program sets minimum
emission standards based on the make of the car. The web
site will help you find the nearest testing facilities.
Car Care
Check the federal
Personal Vehicle Initiative for car care tips.
Biodegradable antifreeze is
available, but may be hard to find in Ontario. In the States,
Sierra Antifreeze
is made from propylene glycol and is less toxic than ethylene
glycol.
Recycling
Don't drive that old car to the dump! Recycle it. There
are several charities that run car recycling programs. You
call them, they pick up the car and have it towed to an
accredited recycler. They get paid the value of the car
and you get a charitable donation receipt for the same amount.
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Car Heaven is the
recycling program of the Clean Air Foundation, a partnership
between several organizations, businesses and governments.
Car Heaven brings together under one roof the individual
programs offered by the Recycling Council of Ontario, the
Kidney Foundation and others.
The
Ontario Automotive Recyclers
Association is the association for companies specializing in
car recycling. Their website has a code of ethics that
promotes recycling, energy efficiency and pollution prevention
at member facilities.
A
Few Good Links
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