Leave the car at home, save money and breathe easier!
With rising petrol prices leading many people to decide to cycle, walk or take public transport to work, ACF is reminding city and suburban car owners of the good they are doing for the environment every time they choose to leave the car at home.
ACF's Sustainability Campaigner, Suzie Brown, says that while the price of petrol is causing some hardship in the community, there are positive environmental outcomes. "People should feel good about not using their cars as much because they are directly helping to reduce greenhouse pollution and smog.
"Cars and other road transport are major greenhouse polluters in Australia, creating around 12% of Australia's greenhouse emissions and contributing to global warming and climate change," says Ms Brown.
"As well as greenhouse pollution, vehicle exhaust causes air pollution, such as smog, which according to the CSIRO kills about 2,400 Australians every year."
"We hope that the changes people are making in their transport arrangements will be new habits they maintain even if petrol prices go down," says Ms Brown.
Car pollution facts:
- With every litre of petrol you save, greenhouse pollution is reduced by 2.5 kilograms.
- The average Australian family car travels about 15,000km a year, generating about 6 tonnes of greenhouse pollution a year and costing its owners about $13,350.
- Cycling just 10km each way to work once a week instead of driving saves about $926 in transport costs and 304 kilograms of greenhouse pollution each year.
- If every car owner in NSW reduced their car travel by as little as one kilometre a day, 375 000 tonnes of greenhouse gas would be saved each year.