We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and

go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and

friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But

automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air

we breathe and, in the larger scope of life, by creating

unusual climate changes.

But there is a simple thing you can do to offset the

negative environmental effects of driving your car, and It

costs less than $100 a year.

HOW DRIVING YOUR CAR AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT

If you drive a standard American automobile, your car emits

about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year.

That's three times the weight of the car! If you drive an

SUV, your car emits around 20,000 pounds of CO2 each year.

CO2 is a major "greenhouse gas." Back around 1800, before

there were cars and industry, the CO2-concentration in the

air was about 280 ppm (1 ppm CO2= one molecule of CO2 per

one million molecules of air). Today, as the result of human

activities, the CO2-concentration in the air is about 370

ppm, and increasing by 1.7 ppm every year. And we're adding

CO2 faster than it decomposes. Every molecule of CO2 we add

to the atmosphere stays there for about 100 years.

Many scientists are warning that this increase in CO2 is

raising the average temperature of the planet, known as the

"greenhouse effect." The widely respected WorldWatch

Institute has warned that severe climate change could

include major shifts in weather patterns and agricultural

zones, resulting in droughts and floods. A wide range of

human and natural systems could be disrupted, displacing

long-standing economic and social systems as well as

established ecosystems.

Twenty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the

atmosphere every year comes from driving cars. That is a

significant percentage. This won't be changed by

international protocols or government regulations. But each

one of us can make a difference by reducing our own CO2

emissions.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS PRODUCED BY DRIVING

YOUR CAR

CO2 emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil

fuels for energy. When you drive your car, use public

transportation, use electricity in your home or at work, or

fly on an airplane, you are contributing CO2 emissions into

the air. Most consumer products you buy are made with energy

from burning fossil fuels that produce CO2.

But there are also other ways to make energy. Renewable

energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass are called

"clean" energy sources because they don't produce CO2.

Today, various products are available that allow you to

offset the CO2 you produce by purchasing an equivalent

amount of energy from renewable sources that do not produce

CO2. This CO2-free energy flows into a local or national

grid, eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels that would

create the same amount of CO2. So while your car is still

adding CO2 to the atmosphere, your purchase of renewable

energy is subtracting the same amount of CO2 that would have

gone into the atmosphere someplace else.

TerraPass is one organization that has a program to purchase

renewable energy to offset the CO2 produced by your car. You

simply choose the TerraPass that corresponds to the type of

car and number of miles you drive. Terra Pass guarantees the

money from your membership will result in a reduction of

carbon dioxide that counterbalances the pollution from your

car through the purchase of renewable energy certificates.

You get a TerraPass decal for your car and the good feeling

that you are doing something to keep our climate as nature

intended.

My husband and I each purchased a TerraPass for our cars. A

TerraPass for my husband's efficient Geo Metro was only

$39.95/year and my TerraPass for my Honda Del Sol was

$49.95/year. A small price to pay to do something real and

practical to protect our beautiful planet.

About the Author

Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra

Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products

and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the

environment since 1982. Visit her website at

http://www.dld123.com to learn more about her new book Home

Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to

browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and

earthwise products.