Recently Ford has started to offer a service, where istead of just hearing about how to drive more environmentally, they analyse it for you.
1) You pay them £30 ($45)
2) The check your car over, looking at about 35 different things, such as tyre pressure, fuel and ari filters etc.
3) They fit a data-logger to your OBDII port (where they plug computers to check stuff)
4) You drive around normally for a week
5) Return to the service centre and they print out stuff like typically rev range for each gear change and how hard you brake and accelerate.
It seems to me like a good idea, but I wonder if it’s really a sales tool to get your service/repair business under the cloak of the environmental banner. I think it would be better if it had say been the RAC or the AA (or other breakdown organisation.) I can see plenty of people making significant reductions in their fuel consumption, however, will this just be a short-term solution?
It was announced this week that the North West region of England will be under water use restrictions from midnight on Friday 9th July 2010. This is the first region-wide “hosepipe ban” as it’s commonly called for four years. Last time it was the Thames and parts of East Anglia that had the restrictions. Whilst it has happened before in the traditionally wetter North West, it is perhaps the most surprising that this region has been “hit” first. It was only in the late Autumn last year that parts of this area were actually under water, from serious flooding. Is this an indication to future events, as the UK’s water becomes under more stress from increased populous and climate change? Or is it simply part of natural variations? Either way, it is very serious if things get worse. Not washing your car or watering your grass is hardly life threatening, but alarming reports suggest that significant rainfall until October. Could we see more serious cuts to the most basic of supplies?
Saving water
We all waste water or perhaps we use more than is really necessary. For example, does the car really need a weekly wash, just to impress the neighbours? Do you really need that full bath or 20 minute shower? Could you wait for a full load before turning on that washing machine? Does the grass need to be watered? Grass is very hardy and even when completely brown for weeks, will turn green at the first sniff of rain.