It’s a good idea to keep your car well maintained whatever the time of year, so we have prepared some tips to keeping your car happy while still helping you to do your part to help the environment.
Incidentally, driving and maintaining your vehicle properly can increase your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and decrease your gas costs so everyone wins.
Silicone Windshield Wiper Blades
If your old windshield wiper blades aren’t clearing the windshield like they once did, consider replacing them with silicone instead of rubber wipers. Silicone rubber lasts a long time, often for the life of your car, which means very few end up in a landfill. Silicones does not biodegrade or decompose which means that, if silicone ends up in a landfill, it will not leech toxic chemicals back into the environment. It is recyclable, check with your local municipal recycling program to see if they will accept it in your recycling bin.
Waterless Car Wash
This product washes and protects your vehicle without using any external water which is really great when you are trying to conserve water. Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash Concentrate is made from a blend of plant-based surfactants that break down surface grime and leaves the surface of your car looking clean and polished. As an added eco-bonus, the packaging is 100 percent recyclable.
For more information about waterless car wash products, visit http://www.ecotouch.net/waterless-car-wash-concentrate-16-oz/.
Keep Your Tires Inflated
Keeping your tires properly inflated improves gas mileage by around 3%.
Use Common Sense While Driving
Speeding, rapid acceleration and rapid braking can lower gas mileage by up to 33 percent at highway speeds and up to 5 percent in town.
Avoid Idling
Avoid idling, which gets no miles per gallon and causes needless air pollution. Cars with larger engines typically waste even more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.
Recycled Oil
Lubricating oil does not wear out, it simply becomes dirty as it does its job. Once water and contaminants are removed from collected used oil, it is returned to a full and useful life as a re-refined base oil. Purchasing this recycled oil, just like buying any recycled product, will increase consumer demand. Check to see that the recycled oil you are purchasing has the American Petroleum Institute (API).
According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), recycled oils that are API certified comply fully with vehicle manufacturers’ warranty requirements.
Do not pour used engine fluids down the drain or in the street, the toxins in these products will impact your local streams, rivers and the surrounding environment. Properly dispose of your used car fluids at a Household Hazardous Waste facility in your area.
Here is a product made from a recycled car part in case you already purchased your recycled oil and are interested in increasing consume demand for another recycled item:
Recycled Tire Card Holder from Global Goods Partners
This handsome card holder is made completely with recycled tires. To find out more, visit http://globalgoodspartners.org/collections/eco-gifts/products/recycled-tire-card-holder.
Sustainable living is about respecting the limits of the earth’s capacity to provide.
