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Most cars guzzle petrol or diesel, and therefore their exhaust fumes include carbon dioxide which causes climate change. It is best for our planet to reduce the number of car journeys, taking public transport, or walking or cycling instead. However, often our lives in the UK are structured around driving to work, driving to school, driving to the supermarket, and sometimes alternatives aren’t available. Especially as children, you might feel you don’t have a choice or can’t make a difference.
This week’s challenge is to see how you, as a Young Climate Warrior, can reduce carbon emissions related to your car journeys, even if you won’t be the one doing the driving! There are three main elements to our guzzle-busting jigsaw puzzle.
First puzzle piece – lift sharing! Can you think hard this week about who you could offer a lift to? How often you do turn up at football, cubs, brownies or dance class and bump into your friend who lives down the road? Can you make suggestions to your parent / carer about potential lift-shares – and cut your carbon emissions from that journey in half!
Second puzzle piece – switching off. Whilst you are sitting in your car waiting to collect your brother, sister or friend, at the bus stop, or in a traffic jam, can you ask your parent or carer to turn the engine off? Keeping the engine running without driving anywhere is called ‘idling’ – think of those carbon emissions you could save by turning it off. There are now lots of local ‘anti-idling campaigns’ - have you seen their slogan ‘I’m no idler… idling is fuelish.’
When you have succeeded in reducing your car-related emissions this week, then please tell us by HITTING THE RED BUTTON!
And the final puzzle piece – check your tyre pressure. Next time you go to the garage to fill up on fuel, can you ask your parent / carer if they can check the tyre pressure – and show you how the air pressure gauge works. Have you ever tried cycling a bike with a flat tyre – it’s really hard work. If the air pressure in your car tyres is too low, this means your car engine has to work harder, burn more fuel, and therefore produce more carbon emissions.
29thJanuary was National Puzzle Day. In case you missed the opportunity for some extra brain exercise you may enjoy this climate change wordsearch. https://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/environment/climate-change/climate-change-word-search.html. You could even do it next time you’re waiting around in the car!
Don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON and tell us when you’ve helped our planet by cutting carbon emissions from your car journeys.
