Green Your Ride
Reduce Your Travelling Footprint
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
· One liter of gasoline produced 2.4 kilograms of co2 emissions
· If every driver of a light duty vehicle avoided idling by three minutes a day, collectively over the year, we would save 630 million litres of fuel, over 1.4 million tonnes of GHG emissions, and $630 million annually in fuel costs (assuming fuel costs are $1.00/L).
· Each year, a single city bus can take 40 vehicles off the road, save 10,646 litres of fuel, and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 25 tonnes.
· An average van pool of seven passengers emits about seven times less pollution per kilometre than drive-alone commuting.
· An engine can burn up to 50 % more fuel for a short trip in the winter than for the same trip in the summer.
· Once a vehicle is running, the best way to warm it up is to drive it. With computer-controlled, fuel-injected engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.
· Active transportation also saves you money. It costs an average of $8,000 per year to own and operate a motor vehicle, but only $150 annually for a bicycle, and virtually no cost at all for walking!
· On April 5, 2005, the Government of Canada and the Canadian automotive industry signed a major agreement on climate change. Under this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Canadian automotive industry will take actions to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of new vehicles in Canada so that by 2010, annual emissions reductions will reach 5.3 megatonnes (Mt)Active Transportation
Walk, Bike & Wheel
Fredericton has 85 kilometers of fully accessible walking trails and 13 square kilometers of open green space, parklands and urban forest, and as such was named the second best walking city in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine.
A Citizen Attitude Survey conducted in December 2007 revealed that 86 per cent of residents use the City's trails - up from 78 per cent in 2005. This number will continue to rise as the paving of the trails continues to allow the accessibility of more people to use the trails.
In addition, this past summer (2008) 7 kilometers of bike lanes were painted and 4.9 kilometers of signed bike routes were erected. This year alone 35 bike racks in the downtown core, outdoor pools and Willie O'Ree Place were installed, and every bus in the public transportation fleet has a bike rack
Bike Commuting
10 Tips for Bike Commuting to work
Click here for tips and advice on active transportation and more information about the programs and opportunities here in Fredericton.
Motorized Tra
nsportation
If you are in the market to purchase a new (or used) vehicle, please be sure to visit the Office of Energy Efficiency first! They have detailed information on:
· Fuel efficient vehicles
· EnerGuide label
· Tips on buying a vehicle
· Fuel consumption ratings
· Comparing the efficiency of vehicles
· Transport Canada's ecoAuto Rebate Program
· Information on the Excise Tax on Fuel Inefficient Vehicles
Air Travel
Click here to check out some information about eco-friendly air travel.
Learn more about purchasing carbon offsets at The David Suzuki Foundation Website
Articles
Click on the title below to access the Green Matters articles about traveling green.
Vroom-vroom, Here Come Electric Vehicles
Green travelling even in cold weather
Fuel Efficiency for Summer Vacations
Links
Click on the links below for access to more information on reducing your transportation footprint and being more eco-conscious with your traveling decisions!
Excise Tax (Green Levy) on Fuel Inefficient Vehicles
Automakers Agreement to Reduce GHG Emissions
Auto$mart Thinking - Driving and Maintaining Your Vehicle
Benefits of Active Transportation
Association for Commuter Transportation of Canada (ACT Canada)
