Reducing your carbon footprint in driving can be done in several ways. If not using your car less often, you may also achieve it by getting a fuel-efficient car, like a hybrid.
However, the gaining popularity of fuel-efficient cars can be a double-edged sword. While it may reduce the carbon footprints of individual users, it also increases that of the manufacturer's. Take the Prius for example; it may get you 45/48 mpg city/highway, but manufacturing one consumes 1,000 gallons of fuel, something which can be considered a "carbon debt".
Wired.com reporter Chuck Squatriglia says that the Prius has to be driven around 46,000 miles to pay off this "carbon debt", after which the car model's fuel efficiency starts truly realizing its green benefits. If you wish to avoid having to pay off this "carbon debt", consider instead making the most out of your current car or buying a used car.
When Pre-Owned Beats Brand New
Owning a used car can be more effective in reducing carbon footprints. For one, it saves a car from adding to environmental waste by getting junked; and for another, buying used cars limits the need for the production of new cars.
Additionally, most used cars would have already paid off their carbon debt. Even without using hybrids, driving used cars in Baton Rouge and other areas helps reduce the consumption of a significant amount of fuel needed in manufacturing new cars.
These days, it's easy to find cars with a fuel economy of 30 mpg and above. This is due in no small part to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards, which is currently at 27.5 mpg and will be at 37.8 mpg by 2016. For example, a used 2012 Ford Focus hatchback from Baldwin Subaru, a dealership in Covington, LA, has an average fuel economy of 32 mpg.
Used car buyers thus have a wide array of fuel-efficient cars to choose from. Existing car owners who choose to trade in their older, gas-guzzling vehicle for a new, fuel-saving one also get a good chance of reducing their carbon footprint.
Soon enough, more and more fuel-efficient cars will end up as used cars in Baton Rouge, LA and other areas, as the car industry yearly introduces new car models which comply with the increasingly stringent requirements on fuel consumption. As soon as they do, it becomes even more sensible to buy a used car, giving a new dimension to the battle cry, "reduce, reuse, recycle".
(Source: Go Green - Buy a Used Car. It's Better Than a Hybrid, Wired)
