Q: I’m interested in driving as “green” as possible and look forward to the day when cars run on hydrogen and emit no pollutants. I hope to see that happen in my lifetime but, until that day comes, I still want to cause as little damage, myself, as possible. What are my options?

A: Face it, cars will never be entirely benign, environmentally speaking. They’d have to be organically self-procreating to have a chance of attaining that; even then, the prospect is questionable. The best we can hope for — having let the personal transportation genie out of the bottle, never to climb back in — is to minimize a vehicle’s potential to pollute.

Motor vehicles affect the environment in all kinds of ways beyond greenhouse gas emissions. For just three examples of many: the extraction and processing of metals to manufacturing (involving use of chemicals, paint, oil and gasoline, and the potential contamination inherent in all of that); the paving over of considerable tracts of land, much of it agricultural; and, microscopic rubber particles in the air caused by tire wear.

That last one might not be a big deal on the comparatively lightly-travelled highways of rural Manitoba, or on an ice road to Tuktoyaktuk, but on the four-to-eight-lane stretches of asphalt that run 24/7 through most major urban centres, it raises health concerns for those who travel them regularly or live nearby. Your best defense there is to keep windows closed and let the car’s filtration system do its job. Modern car air-filtering systems clean the cabin air of particles mere microns in size — but they must be routinely cleaned or replaced to be fully effective. Corollary: If you live near a busy highway, limit your exposure by closing windows and letting your home’s air filtration system do its job.

This windily leads to the first and number one rule of driving ‘green’: Don’t own a car if you don’t have to; if you do need to own a car, avoid driving and idling it unnecessarily.

On that second point, don’t buy more car (or truck) than you need. If you live in Toronto’s trendy Beach district, driving a Hummer or full-sized pickup will only win you your neighbours’ derision. Something smaller and less consumptive is definitely more appropriate in such an environment. Similarly, if you’re a tradesperson who needs to move tools and equipment around with you, a subcompact crossover won’t be especially useful, either.

The logic is obvious, but so-often overlooked: Buy the most efficient vehicle you can afford, regardless of the class in which it is categorized.

Much of the hype surrounding ‘green’ cars these days centres on hybrids and battery electrics, but the fact is those types still represent a mere fraction of the total amount of vehicles sold each year. Experts say at least 25 years will pass before the new technologies overtake the old internal combustion engine in the sales race, if even then.

There are any number of small, efficient, clean-burning cars out there today that produce numbers to rival those of the hybrids, yet emit only slightly more emissions (a big part of the reason why hybrids emit fewer exhaust gases and get higher mileage is because they run less often on internal combustion power). And with a renewed, broad-based commitment to the environment, manufacturers are frantically working to outdo one another by advancing clean-burn technologies and to extract the maximum mileage from every drop of fuel or watt of electricity, as well as cleaning up their manufacturing and delivery processes.

Another option is flex fuel vehicles (i.e. vehicles that burn either a mixture of ethanol with gasoline, or just gasoline, or natural gas). While such vehicles are relatively easy to find in today’s market, it’s a different matter finding places that sell them. In most centres, it becomes the responsibility of the owner of a flex fuel vehicle to seek out and patronize what limited number of outlets there might be in the area. This will vary widely, depending on region.

As for the common-sense aspect to driving ‘green,’ much of it is indeed practical, everyday and intuitive: maintain your vehicle through routine servicing; accelerate smoothly and gently; carry your car’s momentum through corners by braking softly and completing that action before you turn into a corner, getting smoothly back on the gas at the apex of the curve. Want to reduce your emissions and save money at the pump? Your car will burn considerably more fuel driving at 120 km/h than at 100 (or 80). Always keep your tires properly inflated, for the least possible rolling resistance and maximum grip. All of the above counts as ‘green’ advice; it’s just not sensational, so doesn’t tend to get mentioned much.

Admittedly remarkable technological advances aside, don’t be blinded by modern marketing platforms. Certainly, you can drive ‘green’ with a hybrid or an electric — but you can still take large steps towards driving ‘green’ without them. Quoth Kermit the Frog: It’s not easy. On the other hand, it’s not rocket science or brain surgery. It’s not that hard, being green.

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Image courtesy of Chad’sCapture.