Three ways: How to make driving a green experience
To begin with keeping the tyre at a certain air pressure is the bare minimum you can do to increase your mileage.
We as a society have come into money lately and car is the ultimate status symbol. Driving is a sign of arrival and yet, while we celebrate our mobility (both real and figurative) the reality is, developed world is fast moving into a different zone as far as personal commute is concerned.
They are working towards a future of carless society. However, we will not go that far because discussing that future is premature in our context and above all it’s highly unappetizing.
Yet there is plenty a car owner can do to make owning car a green experience. To begin with keeping the tyre at a certain air pressure is the bare minimum you can do to increase your mileage. It will have twin effect of bringing down your fuel expense as well as general decline in carbon emission.
Secondly strictly adhere to your schedule of pollution control checks. This will keep you from unsavoury situation of being caught on the wrong foot of the law and also help you in fulfilling your duty as a green citizen.
Similarly insist on filling your car tank with clean fuel which is free of lead. In some places government is toying with an idea of introducing bio-fuel in the petrol and diesel. Volunteer for such programmes. It would be good for the health of your machine as well as the environment.
We all want to increase our mileage and yet don’t want to pay for it. This is one of the reason sale of diesel driven cars have trumped the petrol ones in cities like Delhi. Diesel being subsidised for poor is much cheaper than petrol. It has offset the good effects of CNG usage in buses and three wheelers in giving city clean air.
Subsidised diesel is for the poor and not for the well heeled. It is better to pay more for the petrol driven car than to save the money and then pay through your nose to the doctor to keep you healthy because of the deteriorated quality of air all around.
Keshav Chaturvedi is a media professional for the last 23 years. Recently the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s publication division brought out his book – Climate Change Negotiations: An Assessment. He was also the content head of the renewable energy magazine Energy Next brought out by IREDA. Presently he writes for the Financial Chronicle (the financial paper of Deccan Chronicle) and is the consulting editor at http://www.greencommunications.in. He also maintains a regular blog on sustainable development issues http://www.indiadynamic.wordpress(Dot)com
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