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New cars and trucks will have to get 30% better mileage starting in 2016 under the Obama Administration. A move set to curb emissions tied to smog and global warming.

President Obama is scheduled to adopt the higher mileage standard on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009. The new requirement will mark the first time limits on greenhouse gases will be linked to federal standards for cars and small trucks.

The 30% increase would be an average for both cars and trucks. Cars rise from 27.5 mpg to 42 mpg starting in 2016. Trucks would rise from 24 mpg to 26.2 mpg. The change will begin to phase in - in 2011.

I guess I will hold off on buying a new vehicle for longer than I had anticipated. I had originally planned on swapping to a new ride this coming year, but I think I may wait until the 2012 models arrive. I am hoping that the phasing will be beneficial at that time.

In my opinion, this is a standar that should have been put into effect long ago and I am glad that someone is finally taking the necessary steps to ensure that that occurs.

1. Drive less

Cars are the major source of air pollution in the Sacramento region. Before getting into your vehicle to run an errand, or go to work, consider alternative means of transportation. Can you get to your destination by walking, biking or public transit? If you leave your car at home one day a week, you prevent 55 pounds of pollution each year from being emitted into our air. And think of the money you'll save on gas, parking and car upkeep.

2. Take public transit

Take transit and let someone else deal with the traffic. Treat yourself to a stress-free commute. You'll also find that public transit can get you to events or weekend activities that might be in your plans. Call 511 or visit www.sacregion511.org for information on how local transit can get you where you're going.

3. Carpool or vanpool to work a few days, or even one day a week

Share a ride. Whether you're driving to work, the gym, a baseball game or the park, find a carpool partner. Take turns driving and give yourselves a break from road-stress a few days a week. Also, many employers and counties have an Emergency Ride Home program that makes cars or taxi vouchers available to carpoolers/vanpoolers and transit-takers in case of emergency or a situation in which your original ride might be unavailable to you. Call 511 or visit www.sacregion511.org to sign up online.

4. Sign up for Air Alert — your free air quality notification via e-mail or cell phone

Air Alert gives you Spare The Air advisories for ground-level ozone or particulate matter when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach 127 or above, plus your choice of daily air quality forecasts and current conditions at monitoring sites in the region.

5. Refuel in the evening and never top off

Putting gas into your vehicle releases Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air. Throughout the day, these VOCs mix with oxides of nitrogen (NOx), "cook" in the summer sun, and form ground-level ozone. Refueling in the evening decreases the opportunity for VOCs to create ozone.

6. Link your trips

Cold engines pollute up to five times more than warm ones. A cold engine is one that has been sitting for over an hour. When possible, link all of your errands together into one trip to minimize "cold starts". Postpone errands on a Spare The Air Day.

7. Telework

Why commute at all if you can arrange to work from home? You'll save commute time and expenses. Even if you do this just one day a week, you'll be making a difference.

8. Avoid consumer spray products

These aerosol products include hairspray, furniture polish, cooking sprays, bathroom cleaners, air fresheners, antiperspirants, insecticides, and hobby craft sprays. Hair spray alone contributes 12 tons of pollution per day. When buying consumer products, choose solids, sticks, and gels instead. They are more environmentally friendly.

9. It's ok to barbecue, but don't use charcoal lighter fluid

Use an electric starter or chimney briquette starter instead of charcoal lighter fluid. Better yet, replace your charcoal grill with a propane gas grill.

10. Do your garden chores gasoline-free

Avoid gas-powered yard tools such as mowers, blowers, edgers and trimmers — switch to electric-powered tools.

Use the Bus or Streetcar
Commuting to work or around town, why not use a bus or the streetcar? It lowers your carbon emissions as well as leaving you free to read on your way to work.

More Info:
RTA Bus & Streetcar Routes and Schedules

Bikes
Better yet...BIKE it around town! Some places, like the French Quarter or Marigny, biking makes the most sense as car parking in those places can be next to impossible. There are many benefits to bike riding, it produces zero carbon emissions, increases fitness, helps with weight loss, reduces stress, helps lower blood pressure, helps balance your mood, and increases life expectancy. When biking, be sure to wear a helmut all the time and use a light if you are biking at night.

More Info:
New Orleans Community Bike Project

R.U.B.A.R.B.

Crescent City Cyclists

How to Pick the Right Bike

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a vehicle which combines a conventional propulsion system with an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) to achieve better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle without being hampered by range from a charging unit like an electric vehicle. The different propulsion power systems may have common subsystems or components.

HEVs became widely available to the public in the 1990s with the introduction of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. HEVs are viewed by some automakers as a core segment of the next future automotive market. In an article for the July-August 2007 issue of THE FUTURIST magazine titled "Energy Diversity as a Business Imperative", including plug-in hybrid vehicles. GM vice president for environment and energy Elizabeth Lowery is quoted as saying, "Today, we are embracing multiple energy sources because there is no single answer available for the mass market…

More Info:
Wikipedia's List of Hybrid Vehicles

Compare Hybrid Cars

Federal Tax Credits on Hybrid Cars

While most of the country is focussed on going green at home we are going to take a step forward and consider going green at the other place that most of us spend a large chunk of our time...at work.

1) Cut the lights...

Turn off the lights when you leave a room for more than 10 minutes. Purchase EnergyStar rated light bulbs, which use 2/3 less than regular lighting. Consider installing timers or sensors that automatically turn on/off when not needed.

2) Computer Efficency...

When you leave the office for the day turn off your computer and the power strip it's plugged into. Computers are responsible for wasting $1 billion worth of energy each year. Screen savers don't dave energy btw.

3) Print Smart...

Print on both sides of the paper and avoid color printing when possible. Purchase chlorine free paper (choose recycled) and consider switching to a lighter stock paper. Recycle your toner and use recycled toner cartidges - it saves you money and the planet at one time.

4) Go Paperless...

Sign up for electronic billing for invoices and choose to save your files on your computer or network rather than printing the document; not only does it waste paper, but it also takes up space.

5) Recycle...

Recycle everything that can be recycled: paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, toner, and even used electronic devices.

6) Green Picks...

Only buy office supplies made from recycled materials; most suppliers offer recycled alternatives to every product available.

7) Watch What (and how) You Eat...

Use reusable dishes and utensils for your office meals and snacks. Provide filtered water to reduce bottled water waste. Switch to organic and Fair Trade coffee and tea and buy as much local and organic foods as possible.

8) Rethink Travel...

Take the train, bus or subway when feasable instead of a rental car when traveling on business. If you must rent a car, some rental agencies offer hybrid and high mileage vehicles.

Consider video-conferencing and other technological solutions than can reduce the need for business travel.

9) Your Commute...

Make it a habbit to carpool, bike, or take public transit to work and or telecommute when possible.

10) Office Environment...

Always use non-toxic cleaning products. Brighten your cubicle with plants, which absorb indoor pullution.

1 Use cast iron pans instead of nonstick.
 
2 To avoid chemicals leaching into food, go easy on processed, canned or fast foods and never microwave plastic.
 
3 Buy organic, or eat vegetables and fruit from the "Cleanest 12" list.
 
4 Pregnant women should use iodized salt to combat chemical interference from the thyroid.
 
5 Seal outdoor wooden structures.
 
6 Leave your shoes at the door. This cuts down on dust-bound pollutants in the home.
 
7 Avoid perfume, cologne and products with added fragrance.
 
8 Buy products with natural fibers, like cotton and wool, that are naturally fire resistant.
 
9 Eat low-mercury fish like tilapia & pollock, rather than high-mercury choices like tuna & swordfish.
 
10 Filter your water for drinking and cooking.
 
11 Learn your personal body burden.