The Eco Footprint of York
York lifestyles and their environmental impact
The Eco Footprint of York
The Eco Footprint of York is the work of John Barrett,
Harry Vallack, Andrew Jones and Gary Haq, from the
Stockholm Environment Institute-York, based at the University
York lifestyles and their environmental impact
of York.
The research
was commissioned by
Norwich Union, as part of the Energy Saving Trust’s PlanetYork
campaign.
This edition provides a non-technical summary of the main
findings of the study and outlines actions which the residents
of York might take to reduce their individual Eco Footprints.
The full scientific study will contribute to the City of York’s
Local Agenda 21 Better Quality of Life Strategy.
It presents
options for the City of York Council and York businesses to
plan for a more sustainable environment for the city and is
available from www.yorkfootprint.org.
August 2002
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The sustainability challenge: protecting our quality of life
Have you noticed how everyone seems to be talking about
‘sustainability’ these days? But what does ‘sustainability’ mean?
What does it mean for the city and people of York?
Most of us would agree that today’s lifestyles mean that we are
using more goods and services than our parents and
grandparents did. Those goods and services are produced by
using natural resources such as land, forests, coal and oil.
‘Sustainability‘ is about not squandering those resources today,
so that future generations still have the resources they need.
It’s also about the way we use natural resources, and the
damage we are doing to the environment we live in.
In other words, sustainability is about making sure that future
generations don’t pay the price for our modern lifestyles: that
we don’t make York - and the world - a worse place for our
children and grandchildren to live in.
One of the key factors of
sustainability is energy use.
Since the industrial revolution, and especially since World War
II, we have used increasing amounts of fossil fuels to produce
modern goods and services, to run our homes and to
transport us and the goods we need.
Sustainable energy
When we burn coal, oil or gas to provide heat or electricity
for our homes, and when we switch on the engines of our cars,
we are pumping out damaging carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. That carbon dioxide heats up the earth like a
greenhouse, leading to global warming. Global warming is
melting the ice caps, causing sea levels to rise and changing
weather patterns in unpredictable ways. In the UK we’re seeing
heavier and more frequent floods, more gale-force winds,
wetter and windier winters, and more summer droughts. The
world-wide insurance bill for climate change damage is rising
rapidly – from £17 billion in the 80s to £67 billion in the 90s.
Global warming and the consequent climate change is the
most damaging environmental legacy we’re leaving future
generations.
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York’s changing climate
The climate of the Yorkshire and Humber region is already
changing. The 1990s were the warmest years on record sea levels have risen by 1–3 mm per year over the last few
decades. The region has suffered the consequences of
extreme weather events, such as the 1995 drought and the
Autumn 2000 floods.
These changes have already affected everyone working and
living in the region, especially within the City of York where
flooding from the river Ouse is becoming a regular
occurrence.
A rise in average global temperatures will lead to further
unpredictable climate change, with an increase in the risk of
flooding and extreme weather events.Within the Yorkshire
and Humber region, it is predicted that average
temperatures may rise by 3°C over the next 100 years with
wetter winters and drier summers, particularly in South
Yorkshire and the Pennines.
An Eco (or Ecological)
Footprint is a way of
measuring the impact our lifestyles have on the Earth’s
resources.
The Eco Footprint – a tool for change
The Eco Footprint for York considers how much land is
needed to feed the people of York and provide them with
all the energy, water and materials they need. The Footprint
also calculates the emissions generated from burning oil,
coal and gas, and determines how much land is required to
absorb the pollution and waste created by the residents of
York.
The Eco Footprint for York helps us judge how sustainable
York is at present – and what changes we might make to
improve the quality of life now and in the future. There are
a surprising number of changes we can all make, some of
them simply a matter of changing habits we don’t even think
about. If we all act, together we can make a big difference.
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The Changing Eco Footprint
The wealth of knowledge we have about the history of York makes it easy to see how the city’s Eco Footprint has increased
over time. The first inhabitants of York would have eaten food produced from local agriculture, and consumption of materials
was based on basic clothing, shelter and warmth.
The arrival of the Romans heralded a more ‘luxurious’ standard of living, where lifestyles required slightly greater consumption
of resources such as the introduction of under-floor heating for buildings. And it’s become more luxurious still, with the
technological changes over the last 150 years.
Compare the Roman lifestyle with that of a typical York resident today, and it is not difficult to see how there has been a huge
increase in the Eco Footprint of the city.
How we contribute to York’s Eco Footprint
Every single day, each person living in York contributes to the
city’s Eco Footprint. Here are just some of the ways that each
of us leaves our own Eco Footprint on York:
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The food we eat.
The clothes we wear.
The way we travel.
How we heat and light our homes, and the electrical
appliances we use.
The pollution and waste we create.
All of these activities use energy.
Take the simple example of a York resident enjoying a cup of
tea or coffee:
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Tea and coffee plantations require land.
Most plantations are found in tropical countries such as
India, Brazil and Malaysia.
Energy is required to harvest, and process the leaves and
beans into tea bags and instant coffee.
The products are then packaged for freshness and to help
us recognise them on the shelf.
More energy is then used in transporting the finished
products to York.
We may drive to the supermarket to buy the tea or coffee.
We use energy and water to make the drink.
We create waste (from the empty packaging) which has to
be collected from our homes for disposal.
Every stage of this process requires energy from the burning
of oil products, coal or gas, and these activities in turn, produce
emissions and waste which impact upon the environment and
contribute to global climate change.
They all increase the Eco Footprint for York and have been
taken into account in this study.
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The Eco Footprint of York Today
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The total Eco Footprint of York is 1,242,355 hectares.
Each resident of York requires on average 6.91 hectares of land to
provide the natural resources required to support their lifestyle and to
deal with all the pollution and waste created.
This is slightly more than the UK average of 6.3 hectares a person.
It is three times as much land as the Fair Earthshare target of 2
hectares per person.
Some residents have an Eco Footprint nearer to 2 hectares and others
have an Eco Footprint that exceeds 10 hectares.
90% of the world’s population has an Eco Footprint smaller than 6.91
hectares.
This means that the residents of York are within the top 10 % of the
world’s population in terms of the size of their impact on the
environment.
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York’s Eco Footprint is 45 times the land area of greater York.
This is nearly the same size as the total area of the North Yorkshire
Moors National Park.
The land used by the residents of York to support their lifestyles is
situated in various countries around the world.
Direct use of energy accounts for 21% of York’s Eco Footprint.
Direct household use of energy accounts for 15% of York’s Eco
Footprint.
Carbon dioxide and climate change
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Each person in York is responsible, on average, for 13.5 tonnes of carbon
dioxide a year.
Direct use of energy and transport accounts for 42% of carbon dioxide
emissions.
58% comes from greenhouse gas emissions from consumable items,
much of it created in other countries where the item is produced.
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Eco Footprint (ha/per capital)
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Fig 1 Eco Footprint of different countries and cities
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Energy use in the home
Energy is a key part of the Eco Footprint of York. Here we consider the direct use of energy by York
householders, but remember, energy is also used in the production and transport of goods and
services.
•Each household in York uses electricity and gas for heating, lighting and cooking.
•Energy is also used to take water from rivers, to treat it and then to pump it into each household.
•The energy used in these activities produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Key Facts
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Home heating is responsible for 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions from direct household energy use.
York households were responsible for around 170,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2000.
An area 9 times the size of greater York would need to be planted with trees to absorb all the carbon dioxide produced
from energy consumption in York.
For every unit of electricity used, 0.43 kg of carbon dioxide is produced compared to 0.19 kg of carbon dioxide for every
unit of gas used.
Eco Footprint
• Direct energy consumption is responsible for 21% of York’s total Eco
Footprint.
• The Eco Footprint of energy consumption in York is 1.40 hectares per
person.
• Domestic gas consumption has the highest Eco Footprint of 0.61
hectares per person followed by domestic electricity consumption at
0.44 hectares per person.
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Lifestyle Choices
There are many choices that we make in the home that can affect our Eco impact.These range from simply switching the lights
off when not using a room, to insulating our homes and choosing energy saving appliances when we replace old models.
Consider the Eco Footprints for energy use of these four York residents:
Rodney keeps his home central heating on at a high temperature and has no energy saving appliances.
His home insulation is poor; he has hardly any loft insulation, no insulation in his walls, and draughty
windows and doors. He also leaves lights and appliances (he has two TVs and a home computer) switched
on or in stand-by mode. He has high energy bills and the highest Eco Footprint of 1.5 hectares.
Janet likes all the rooms in the house to be warm all the time. She does have some energy efficient
appliances and has installed energy saving light bulbs. She has also had cavity wall insulation fitted. She
has an Eco Footprint of 1 hectare.
David’s home is well insulated, and he doesn’t need to run the heating at a high temperature to keep
warm. He has an A rated energy efficient fridge freezer, with good door seals, and he is careful to keep it
defrosted and running efficiently. He also has a few energy saving light bulbs which he got from the
PlanetYork campaign, and he is very careful when it comes to turning lights off. He has an Eco
Footprint of 0.6 hectares.
Anna’s home is extremely well insulated. She has the latest energy saving appliances, and a modern
efficient condensing boiler. She hates to waste energy and always puts a jumper on before turning up the
heating. Anna has also signed-up to a renewable energy supplier, so the electricity she uses comes from
wind and water rather than fossil fuels, and creates no carbon dioxide. She has very low energy bills
and a low Eco Footprint of 0.15 hectares.
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Transport use of energy
The main mode of transport used by York residents is the car, which causes
local air pollution as well as contributing to global warming.
Motor vehicles are responsible for emissions of carbon dioxide, particulates,
oxides of nitrogen and other pollutants from the burning of petroleum.
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The impact of travelling one mile by car is 3 times higher than travelling
the same distance by train.
The impact of using a bicycle is 40 times less than the impact of using a
car.
Walking has no eco footprint at all.
Key facts
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The car is responsible for approximately 55% of trips in York.
Bus travel is responsible for 6.3%.
The remaining modes of transport are responsible for between 18.6 %
(bicycle) to 1.1 % (train).
Car travel is responsible for approximately 93% of the total Eco impact
followed by bus (3%) and train (1%).
The transport sector is the fastest growing sector causing greenhouse gas
emissions in York.
Eco Footprint
• Transport is responsible for 9% of York’s Eco Footprint and 22% of its
carbon dioxide emissions.
• The total Eco Footprint of transport is 105,138 hectares.
• The car is responsible for 97,599 hectares.
• Public transport is responsible for 7,539 hectares.
Lifestyle Choices
Each one of our York residents makes different choices
with regard to how they travel to work everyday. This is
the effect they have on York’s Eco Footprint:
Rodney drives to work in his Audi Quattro car from Stamford Bridge to York City Centre. This produces 1 tonne of
carbon dioxide a year and has an Eco Footprint of 0.036 hectares.
Janet gets the bus from Bishopthorpe into York City Centre and has an Eco Footprint of 0.008 hectares. Janet has an
Eco impact that is five times less than that of Rodney.
David commutes to work each morning by train from York to Harrogate. David has an Eco Footprint of 0.031 hectares.
He travels over twice the distance of Rodney but his impact is less.
Anna cycles from Holgate to the University of York. Anna has the lowest Eco Footprint of 0.002 hectares, which is
considerably lower than that of the other York residents.
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What we buy and how we live
Apart from our direct use of energy in the home and on the road, energy is also used in the production of the food we eat,
the consumer goods we buy, and the roads and buildings we construct to support our lifestyle.
Food
Food accounts for 33% of York’s Eco Footprint – largely because so much energy is used at each stage of the food process,
and because it has to travel so far to get to our tables.
The total Eco Footprint of food consumption includes both the land area required to absorb carbon dioxide emissions emitted
in food production as well as the land area required to grow and produce the food.
Key facts
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Over 20% of the food bought by York residents is never eaten and ends up in landfill.
For every tonne of food consumed in York a quarter of a tonne of packaging is produced.
50% of the Eco Footprint of food is the energy required in production, storage, transport and waste disposal.
Eco Footprint
The total Eco Footprint for food is 309,942 hectares.
• The energy used to grow and process our food is 157,850 hectares.
• Meat and dairy food from pastureland is 87,714 hectares.
• Grains and vegetables from arable land is 58,677 hectares.
• Sea area to absorb carbon dioxide emissions is 5,702 hectares.
• Food packaging is 58,677 hectares.
• Transporting food to our shops in York is 5,110 hectares.
• Methane produced from our food in landfill sites is 3,915 hectares.
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Other Consumer items
Energy and resources are also used up to provide the residents of York with all their non-food consumables, such as
newspapers, kettles, clothes or washing machines.
KEY FACTS
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In 2000, nearly 100,000 new electrical/electronic items were bought by York residents, an average of over one new item
per household.
One in every twenty-five people purchased a new mobile phone.
20% of households purchased a digital decoder.
To supply York with 1,370 tonnes of electrical equipment each year requires approximately 5,000 tonnes of material.
Eco Footprint
• Consumer items are responsible for 23% of York’s total Eco Footprint.
• The total Eco Footprint for consumable items is 123,907 hectares.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure means the road network and buildings that
exist in York. Transport infrastructure such as roads and
motorways requires substantial areas of land, raw materials
and energy.
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In the UK roads take up one fifth of the surface of
urban areas and in York account for 722 hectares.
The construction and re-surfacing of roads requires a
substantial amount of materials (aggregates) totalling
90 million tonnes a year for the UK and over 450,000
tonnes for York.
In York, the total length of existing carriageway is
723km and that of footpaths is 1,200km.
In 2000, 32.2km of roads and 65 km of footpaths
were re-surfaced.
The total length of new roads built in York in 2000
was 7km.
KEY FACTS
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In one year, 586,924 tonnes of carbon dioxide is produced due to new house building in York.This represents 3.3 tonnes
of carbon dioxide per person.
Over 26 million tonnes of materials are stored in roads in York and over 10 million tonnes in footpaths.
In 2000, a total of 400 thousand tonnes of new materials were added to the above total.
Eco Footprint
• Infrastructure is responsible for 13 % of York’s Eco Footprint.
• The total Eco Footprint of infrastructure is 69,581 hectares.
• Roads in York account for 24,500 hectares.
• Housing accounts for 45,081 hectares.
Waste
Each sector we have looked at so far produces some form of waste products, whether this be packaging from food and
consumer items or old motor vehicles.
In 2000, nearly 80,000 tonnes of commercial and public sector waste was produced in York.The manufacture of these products
and disposal of the waste requires energy, which in turn produces greenhouse gases. In addition, decomposing waste in landfill
sites produces another greenhouse gas, methane, although Yorwaste is currently converting a considerable amount of this
methane into electricity.
The retail sector is responsible for a high proportion of the waste produced in York. Most of the waste produced is cardboard.
Office-based businesses are also responsible for a high level of paper consumption, as well as the City of York Council, which
is responsible for consuming over 4,000 tonnes of paper per each year.
KEY FACTS
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On average, 16% of commercial waste is recycled.The majority of the material that is recycled is office paper (over
7,000 tonnes).
About 70% of the methane gas produced at the City of York’s landfill site is recovered.
Domestic waste production is expected to grow by at least 30% over the next ten years.
Eco Footprint
• The total Eco footprint of commercial paper and card is 177,455
hectares.
• The consumption of paper and card has a more significant Eco Footprint
than all the house and road building in York.
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Lifestyle Choices
As consumers we all produce waste which has to be
treated and disposed of in a landfill or by incineration.
The amount of waste we create depends on whether we
buy heavily packaged goods and whether we recycle
paper, glass, tin and plastic. These are the choices made by our York residents and the effects they have on York’s Eco Footprint.
Rodney produces a lot of waste. He fills his wheelie bin every week and often has an extra bag of rubbish on top. He
does not recycle or compost any of his waste. He has an Eco Footprint of 2.2 hectares.
Janet also produces a similar amount of waste to Rodney but does recycle her newspaper, cans and bottles. This means
that she fills her wheelie bin every week. She does not compost any of her food or garden waste. She has an Eco
Footprint of 1.6 hectares.
David produces very little waste. His wheelie bin is about half to three-quarters full every week. He does not recycle or
compost anything. He has an Eco Footprint of 1.4 hectares.
Anna also produces very little waste and it takes her about a month to fill her wheelie bin. As well as avoiding packaging
in the first place, she recycles everything she can. All her ‘green waste’ (that is, organic waste such as food) is composted
at her allotment. She has an Eco Footprint of 0.8 hectares.
The total footprints of four York residents
Each choice we make with regard to transport, energy, food and waste contributes to our total Eco Footprint. The average resident
of York has a total Eco Footprint of 4 hectares for these four activities.
Rodney’s lifestyle uses a considerable amount of resources. A large amount of transportation is
required for his food and for him to drive to work. He has a total Eco Footprint of 6.7 hectares.
Rodney’s impact is 40% higher than that of the average York resident
Janet’s lifestyle also uses a lot of resources. However, she does use them more efficiently by getting the
bus, recycling and using energy saving light bulbs. Her total Eco Footprint is 4.5 hectares. However,
she still consumes quite a lot and therefore her Eco Footprint is just above that of the average York
resident.
David’s lifestyle does not use a lot of resources. Even though he does not have all the latest energy
saving devices and does not recycle, the fact that he does not consume much gives him a lower Eco
Footprint of 3.9 hectares, which is below that of the average York resident.
Anna has reduced her resource use and makes sure that her resources can be used again through
recycling and composting. She has the lowest Eco Footprint of 1.9 hectares, which is less than half
of the average York resident.
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Conclusions
Every resident of York has a role to play in reducing the total
Eco Footprint of York and the city’s impact on the local and
global environment. If we all take action, then collectively we
could reduce the 1,242,355 hectares which is currently
required.
If we are to reduce York’s Eco Footprint and achieve the Fair
Earthshare target of 2 hectares per person then we will all
need to become aware of how the choices we make every day
contribute to our individual Eco Footprints.
We can take simple steps, such as switching off the lights when
leaving the room or making short journeys by foot instead of
by car. We can choose to buy energy efficient appliances, low
packaged goods, and locally produced food where possible.
And we can take decisions about how much we buy –
especially when so much of it is thrown away.
This document looks at what impact individuals have on York’s
Eco Footprint. But the City of York Council, together with
local businesses and public sector services, has a responsibility
too. By adopting policies and practices that make it easier for
all York residents to choose a lifestyle which not only improves
their quality of life but which, in the long term, is also
environmentally sustainable, they can drive the reduction in
York’s Eco Footprint in the future.
Stockholm Environment Institute July 2002
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How Can We Reduce York’s Eco Footprint?
This section offers practical tips from the Energy Saving Trust on what we as individuals can do in order to
help reduce the Eco Footprint of York.
TIPS FOR THE HOME
There are many things you can do which save energy and cost nothing at all:
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If you’re too warm, reduce your thermostat by 1°C – it can cut up to 10% off your fuel bills.
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Make sure you don’t leave the fridge door open longer than is necessary. For every minute that the fridge door is
open, it will take 3 minutes for it to regain its temperature.
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Try to use the shower more – it uses only two-fifths of the water and heating needed for a bath.
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Using a 40°C washing machine cycle rather than 60°C means that you use a third less electricity.
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Don’t put really wet clothes into a tumble dryer, wring them out or spin them first – it’s much faster and cheaper.
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Boiling a kettle half full instead of full four times a day could save enough electricity to run a TV set for four hours.
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Wait for a full load when using a washing machine/dishwasher to save water and energy.
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Fix any dripping taps. In just one day, a dripping hot water tank can waste enough water to fill a bath.
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Avoid leaving appliances on stand-by – 80% of the energy used by a VCR is while it is in stand-by mode.
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Turn off lights when you leave the room (lighting accounts for 10-15% of the electricity bill).
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Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
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Choose the right size pan for the food and cooker, and keep lids on when cooking – you’ll reduce cooking time and
the energy used.
And some that don’t come for free…but they’re a great investment.
Some measures do involve an initial outlay but will lead to you making substantial annual savings in the long
run and will help reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere.
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The amount of heat lost in homes annually through roofs and walls is enough to heat five million homes for a year.
Half of all heat lost in the home is through loft space and walls.
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Install loft insulation to a depth of at least 280mm thick. Although this will cost at about £170 if you do it yourself
or from £230 if you use an installer you will recover your costs within just a few years with annual savings of between
£80 - £100.
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Install cavity wall insulation. After loft insulation this is the most cost-effective measure and will reduce heat loss
through your walls by up to 60%. If everyone in the UK installed cavity wall insulation, we would cut CO2 emissions
by 6.7 million tones.
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20% of the heat in your home can be lost through tiny gaps around windows, doors and floors.Why not draught proof
your windows and doors? Annual savings will be between £15- £25.
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Next time you have to change your carpets, or have your floorboards up, think about insulating your floors.
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The older your boiler, the more inefficient and environmentally unfriendly it is likely to be. If it is 15 years or older,
you should definitely think about changing it and investing in a condensing boiler. This is the most efficient type of
boiler available.
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An energy efficient dishwasher will cut energy wastage by over a half on non-efficient models.
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If everyone in the UK installed a condensing boiler, we would cut CO2 emissions by 21.6 million tonnes, saving £1.5
billion on our energy bills every year.This is enough energy to power 5.3 million homes for a year.
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By upgrading heating controls, you will improve the efficiency of any central heating system, and cut your energy
wastage and costs by up to 20%. Fit the right heating controls as well as a condensing boiler and you could bump the
savings up to 40%.
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Almost a quarter (23%) of heat lost from a home
can be through poorly insulated window frames
and single glazing so why not get your windows
double-glazed? The best glazing is “Double Low E”
Low-emissivity glazing has a special coating on one
side of the panel to reflect heat back into the
room reducing heat loss and giving the effect of
triple glazing. It will cost from £170 but you should
be able to recover your costs within 5 - 6 years.
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An energy efficient washing machine uses less than
half the energy of an old, inefficient model and cuts
water consumption considerably – which is also
good for the environment.
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An energy efficient fridge freezer needs as little as
a third of the energy to do the same job as an old
appliance – that’s usually a saving of around £45 a
year. Look for the Energy Efficiency Recommended
logo.
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Fit your hot water tank with a jacket that is 3”
thick and you’ll knock up to £20 off annual fuel
bills.
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Insulate hot water pipes to save an extra £5-£10
off fuel bills.
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Replace normal dead light bulbs with their low
energy equivalents. Energy saving light bulbs use
around a quarter of the electricity of a normal
bulb and last up to 12 times longer. An energy
saving light bulb costs about £5 (often less) – but
it will save you up to £10 a year on your bills.
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Fill in the gaps between your skirting boards and
floor. This will cost around £30 but will save you
between £15- 30 a year.
For further information, and to see whether you are
eligible for a grant or a special deal, ring York’s
Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012.
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ON THE ROAD
Think about how you travel to school, the shops or work – there are many things you can do to reduce your
environmental impact. And these changes will be better for your health too.
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Leave the car at home and walk! One-quarter of all car journeys are under two miles – that’s only a 30 minute walk.And
because of traffic congestion, it will probably take you no longer than driving.
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Almost one third of children who live within a 15 minute walk to school are driven. Get involved in the “Safe Routes to
School” Campaign, a child-centred project to benefit the whole local community by helping to create safer, more healthy
neighbourhoods. (http://www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk/).
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Take up cycling. A two mile journey will take only 12 minutes or so – you’re less likely to be stuck in a traffic jam, and
you’ll be fitter as well.
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Encouraging cycling to work makes good business sense.A “cycling workforce” is a healthier one, more likely to arrive on
time, saves car parking spaces and is cheaper than a company car.
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Heart disease rates would drop by 5-10% if one third of all short car journeys were made by bike
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Catch the bus: The impact of a bus is a lot less than a car because you share the impact with everyone else you are
travelling with. On average a bus has 30% less impact than a car.
But if you really need to drive, follow these tips and you’ll not only cut your fuel costs but also help reduce
the harmful emissions produced by your car.
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Avoid short journeys – think about walking or cycling. A cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel while catalytic
converters can take five miles to become effective.
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When you next buy a car, think about one which runs on a cleaner fuel than petrol or diesel. Many of the new cleaner
models can run on both petrol and LPG – so you’ll always be able to find fuel. LPG is much cheaper at the pump – you’ll
save money on running costs. Grants are available to help you too!
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If you only use your car for short journeys (up to 50 miles) think about a new electric car – grants will help you buy it,
it will only cost about 1p a mile to run, and it’s better for the environment!
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There are grants too for the new ‘hybrid’ cars – part petrol, part electric battery.They’re more energy efficient and much
cheaper to run.
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Think about converting your petrol car or van to LPG – it’ll be much cheaper to run and create less pollution. Grants
are available for approved conversions (for more information on clean fuel vehicle options see: www.transportaction.org.uk
– follow ‘PowerShift’ link).
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If you work for a haulage or public transport company, or if you drive a truck or a bus, think about fitting a particulate
trap to clean up the exhaust. Grants pay 75% of the cost – and for ongoing maintenance as well.You’ll be ahead of the
game when councils around the UK begin barring polluting vehicles from city centres. (see www.transportaction.org.uk for
more details – follow ‘CleanUp’ link).
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Drive defensively - avoid harsh acceleration and heavy breaking wherever possible. Remember that pulling away too fast
uses up to 60% more fuel.
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Use the gearbox efficiently - changing gear between 1500 and 2000 rpm can reduce fuel consumption by 15%.
•
Stick to speed limits and make your fuel go further - driving at 70mph uses up to 30% more fuel than at 50mph.
•
Have your car serviced regularly, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
For further information, and to see whether you are eligible for a grant or a special deal, ring York’s Energy
Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012, or visit www.transportaction.org.uk.
17
Eco Graffiti on the A64 near York
photography by Simon Warner [email protected]
design by Leo Warner [email protected]
telephone 0800 0612759