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A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving

By: Debra Lynn Dadd

We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air we breathe and, in the larger scope of life, by creating unusual climate changes. But there is a simple thing you can do to offset the negative environmental effects of driving your car, and It costs less than $100 a year. HOW DRIVING YOUR CAR AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENTIf you drive a standard American automobile, your car emits about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. That's three times the weight of the car! If you drive an SUV, your car emits around 20,000 pounds of CO2 each year. CO2 is a major "greenhouse gas." Back around 1800, before there were cars and industry, the CO2-concentration in the air was about 280 ppm (1 ppm CO2= one molecule of CO2 per one million molecules of air). Today, as the result of human activities, the CO2-concentration in the air is about 370 ppm, and increasing by 1.7 ppm every year. And we're adding CO2 faster than it decomposes. Every molecule of CO2 we add to the atmosphere stays there for about 100 years. Many scientists are warning that this increase in CO2 is raising the average temperature of the planet, known as the "greenhouse effect." The widely respected WorldWatch Institute has warned that severe climate change could include major shifts in weather patterns and agricultural zones, resulting in droughts and floods. A wide range of human and natural systems could be disrupted, displacing long-standing economic and social systems as well as established ecosystems. Twenty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere every year comes from driving cars. That is a significant percentage. This won't be changed by international protocols or government regulations. But each one of us can make a difference by reducing our own CO2 emissions. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS PRODUCED BY DRIVING YOUR CAR CO2 emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels for energy. When you drive your car, use public transportation, use electricity in your home or at work, or fly on an airplane, you are contributing CO2 emissions into the air. Most consumer products you buy are made with energy from burning fossil fuels that produce CO2. But there are also other ways to make energy. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass are called "clean" energy sources because they don't produce CO2. Today, various products are available that allow you to offset the CO2 you produce by purchasing an equivalent amount of energy from renewable sources that do not produce CO2. This CO2-free energy flows into a local or national grid, eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels that would create the same amount of CO2. So while your car is still adding CO2 to the atmosphere, your purchase of renewable energy is subtracting the same amount of CO2 that would have gone into the atmosphere someplace else. TerraPass is one organization that has a program to purchase renewable energy to offset the CO2 produced by your car. You simply choose the TerraPass that corresponds to the type of car and number of miles you drive. Terra Pass guarantees the money from your membership will result in a reduction of carbon dioxide that counterbalances the pollution from your car through the purchase of renewable energy certificates. You get a TerraPass decal for your car and the good feeling that you are doing something to keep our climate as nature intended. My husband and I each purchased a TerraPass for our cars. A TerraPass for my husband's efficient Geo Metro was only $39.95/year and my TerraPass for my Honda Del Sol was $49.95/year. A small price to pay to do something real and practical to protect our beautiful planet. About the Author
Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website at http://www.dld123.com to learn more about her new book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products.

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