Drive Smart
	It's easy to help protect the environment through good driving practices. Maintaining your car properly, recycling automotive items, following manufacturers' operational recommendations and considering the environment when buying a car are all steps anyone can take.
	It's So Easy: 1. Slow down: Every mile per hour above 55 mph reduces gas mileage by nearly 2 percent. Obeying posted speed limits saves fuel, prevents pollution and, oh yeah, saves you the cost of a speeding ticket. 2. Don't be a "jack rabbit": Rapid acceleration and braking burns more fuel and increases tire wear. Use cruise control and overdrive gears on the highway to increase fuel efficiency.
	3. Limit idling: Stuck at a train crossing? Waiting in the elementary school pick-up queue? Turn off the engine. Idling engines waste gas.  And no, stopping and starting your engine is not bad for your car and it does not burn more fuel than just idling. 4. Lose some weight: Not you, your car. Empty the trunk of unnecessary stuff and remove unused roof racks or storage units. Every extra 100 pounds costs about a half-mile per gallon and empty roof racks increase drag up to 40 percent. 5. Keep your car ship-shape: Routine maintenance increases fuel efficiency and cuts pollution. Keep tires properly inflated, replace air filters regularly — especially in dusty environments — and have the air conditioner serviced. Leaky car air conditioners are the single greatest source of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions — a potent greenhouse gas. 6. Think ahead: Combine activities and errands into one trip whenever possible. Vehicles burn more gas and emit far more pollution in the first few minutes of operation, so reducing the number of trips is more important than cutting down on miles driven. 7. Drive less: Take the bus, participate in car or van pools, ride a bike, or walk. There is plenty of support for choosing alternative transportation. 8. Get pumped up: Keep your tire inflation at the recommended pressure (~32-35psi). Low tire pressure can lower your gas mileage by 5 percent.
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