The Great 2010 MVFN Carbon Reduction Challenge!
– brought to you by MVFN’s Environmental Issues committee-
During World War II, gasoline was rationed. Those who drove, used up their gas ration coupons and had no more gas for that time period. Pretend that gasoline is rationed now!
Who? All MVFN members and family and friends who drive vehicles.
What? A pilot project and challenge to test a simple method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2, a greenhouse gas) we put into the air by driving our vehicles.
When? Get ready now, but the challenge runs for the 26 week period: June 1st to Nov. 30th.
Where? Everywhere you drive.
Why? On average, every adult is responsible for contributing about 20 tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere each year. ·Burning fossil fuels is a significant source of our CO2input. ·Burning a litre of gas adds about 2.2 kg of CO2 to our air.
How? Follow the directions below.
How to participate:
1. Choose a typical ten-week period. Calculate the number of litres of gas you use for those ten weeks; e.g. use credit card receipts. Divide the total by 10 to calculate your average use/week.
2. Set yourself a goal to reduce the average number of litres used per week; e.g. 10% or 30%.
3. Make a ration book and record your weekly consumption. Trick: Put the same number of litres in your vehicle each Saturday and try to make that last a whole week.
4. Register your goal with the MVFN Challenge Registrar, Cliff Bennett (contact information below).
Cliff will keep track of the challenge goals and announce the challenge results in early December.
An Example – Cliff Bennett’s personal goal:
Cliff found he was using 30+ litres per week during his ten-week assessment period. He will challenge himself to reduce fuel consumption for his Ford Focus from 30 litres per week to 20 litres per week during the challenge period. That will reduce his CO2 input by 572 kg (260 l X 2.2). If ten MVFN members meet this challenge, the reduction would equal 5,720 kg and, if 100 did it, that would equal 57,200 kg.
Ways to reduce your gasoline consumption:
Drive less. Walk or cycle. Car pool. Keep your vehicle well tuned. Go easy on acceleration.
Buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. Don’t idle. Combine several errands into one trip.
For more information, contact Cliff Bennett, 613-256-5013 or Bennett@magma.ca.
Join the challenge, help alleviate climate change, reduce our drain on fossil fuels and save money on gas!
