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Stewardship Tip: Give Yourself A Buffer
By FishRecycler | December 12, 2011
Emissions from your vehicle can have detrimental effects on fish. The ingredients in the cocktail that we call emissions include hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. These ingredients are infamous for their contributions to acid rain, more specifically, acid deposition, which can cause fish kills.
The fact of the matter is, though, most of us rely on our automobiles or trucks to take us to and from work, to get us to our favorite fishing haunts, and to perform our daily errands.
We may not be able to get rid of our vehicles, but we can minimize the impact that our cars and trucks have on the environment by following a few simple procedures.
Calculate your MPG: Fill you vehicle’s gas tank completely and note the vehicles odometer reading. When you refuel, fill the tank completely and note the number of gallons that it took to fill the tank. Also note the number of miles that you traveled (second odometer reading). Subtract the original odometer reading from the second odometer reading and divide the difference by the number of gallons that it took to fill your tank.
Give yourself a buffer: Once you have an idea of how your vehicle performs, you can begin to measure your improvement. If you give yourself a buffer of two seconds, or more, between your vehicle and the one in front of you, you give yourself the opportunity to coast before applying the brakes. When you brake, you turn motion, created by gasoline, into heat to slow down your car. Creating a buffer, allows you to maintain a slow, steady pace.
As we reported in a previous Stewardship Tip, slowing down uses less gas. When you slow down, you also reduce your emissions. Especially when compared to the typical stop-and-go driving that you encounter during heavy traffic, slowing down, creating a buffer, and maintaining a steady, slow pace can save you money and reduce your impact on the environment.
Giving yourself a buffer, though, can be a challenge during rush-hour. Other drivers may see your buffer and attempt to fill it. As vehicles enter your buffer, it pays to be less aggressive by backing off on the accelerator. That will allow you to rebuild your buffer and maintain your pace.
Topics: Recycled Fish, Stewardship Tips | Comments Off
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