Green Church

Project #2: Tire Clinic

So, what do tire pressure and blood pressure have in common?? First, some of us take our cars for granted just as we take our bodies for granted. We usually rely on the "experts" to measure them for us and to explain the significance of the measurements, whether the expert resides in our house or down at the local service station. Second, both can be dangerous if too high or too low. Tires are second only to brakes in the safety of your car; over- inflation compromises your ability to control the car when "cornering" and braking. Whereas this is obviously life threatening, under-inflation can cause premature wear (hard on the pocketbook), over-heating (possible tread separation aka blowout), and, guess what?? EXCESS FUEL CONSUMPTION!! This is because it requires more energy to push a squishy tire down the road that it does a tire which is inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pounds per square inch. Can the experts "see" the difference between a tire which is properly inflated and one which is not? NO, all four tires have to be measured with an instrument. Are all instruments equal? Sad but true, no again. The ones that look like pencils don't work reliably. Can you inflate tires to their recommended pressure and forget about it? No, air is subject to expansion and contraction with fluctuation in temperature. Can you learn how to manage your tires at our church tire clinic? YES! July 1 after church.

Other fuel and safety hints from Ford released for summer drivers: slow down, maintain constant speed; use cruise control; accelerate and brake smoothly; don't "idle" (even at the bank and fast food, more than 30 seconds is a waste); keep the wheels aligned; travel light; minimize heater and air conditioner; close windows at high speeds; use good quality oil; and, consolidate trips with proper pre-planning to avoid congested areas and rush hour when possible. Please come July 1!

Great green auto links:

• Car Talk
  This covers tire inflation and what each of us should do for our tires. The Car Talk web site is filled with useful information, in addition to the (questionable) humor.
• The Auto Channel
  Advice from an auto manufacturer.
• Edmunds
  Edmunds is a good site for information on vehicles, particularly on buying your next vehicle. This like offers good tests on real-world ideas to improve gas mileage.

Project #1: Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Our first project is to promote the conversion to compact fluorescent light bulbs. According to the web site Environmental Defense, if every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs, the pollution savings would be like taking 3.5 million cars off the road.

• For more information, see How to Pick a Better Bulb at Environmental Defense.
• On April 22, 2007 we gave away CF bulbs after worship for free. Let us know how you're doing with your new CF bulbs!