Driving : Drive Yourself Almost Green

If you must drive . . .

By now most American drivers sense that just turning the ignition key is an environmental offense, but what they might not know is that there are ways to clean up their act. They are spelled out in “The Green Commuter,” a new paperback by Joel Makower, author of “The Green Consumer Letter.”

First, should you think you’ve found an “environmentally responsible” car, Makower puts that fancy to rest: “Don’t fool yourself. There’s no such thing.”

It’s not just that America’s 135 million tailpipes contribute heavily to air pollution, Makower notes. It’s also the vapors emitted from refueling or when the motor is idling, the CFCs in a leaky air-conditioner, the 350 million gallons of motor oil dumped improperly into sewer systems annually and 9 million car-carcasses rusting in landfills along with 80 million lead-acid batteries seeping into ground water, 260 million used tires and other accessories.

Makower suggests how you can be almost green, discussing how to buy an energy-efficient car, how to keep it going and how to get rid of it. He rates tire brands and gas mileage and emission control rates of all the major models, gets in a plug for walking, devotes a chapter to alternative vehicles of the future and urges consumer pressure on regulatory agencies.

“And the best news of all,” he adds, “is that minimizing pollution also saves money.”

“The Green Commuter,” National Press Books, 7200 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md. 20814.