What are some items that reduce air pollution? for example, the hybrid car.?

Question

the hybrid car runs partly on batteries, and that reduces air pollution..if u know any other items that help reduce air pollution, but still lets us go on with daily life style (once again, like the hybrid car) please list, or explain. Thank You!

Answer 1

In terms of transportation: also electric vehicles, bicycles, public transportation, and walking.

In the home: CFLs, low-flow showerheads and fawcets (less hot water used = less energy to heat the water), better insulation, energy efficient appliances.

Answer 2

Wrong actually, Hybrid cars have become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them, their ultimate ‘green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.

Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.

The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping 295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?

You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half what the Prius costs.

However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It gets much worse.

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.

All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?

Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.

When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis.

Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust,” the total combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.

The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.

One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses

Answer 3

where does the electricity for all these cars come from?

nuke plants?

toxic waste = bad

power plants?

same or more than car tailpipes your trying to replace.

hydro?

not enough rivers- enviromentally unsound for habitat

solar?

too expensive- not efficient- no power at night when your charging.

wind?

unpredictable- bad for habitat- enviromentally unsound.

can't win can you?

Answer 4

Euro IV vehicles and vehicles that are powered by batteries or make use of sunlight through solar panels.

Answer 5

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)

CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer

Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner

Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Install a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases

Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we’d eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket

You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use less hot water

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible

You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

Turn off electronic devices you’re not using

Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them

Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

Only run your dishwasher when there’s a full load and use the energy-saving setting

You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

Insulate and weatherize your home

Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home.

Be sure you’re recycling at home

You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.

Buy recycled paper products

It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

Plant a tree

A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

Get a home energy audit

Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

Switch to green power

In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area.

Buy locally grown and produced foods

The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

Seek out and support local farmers markets

They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website.

Buy organic foods as much as possible

Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

Avoid heavily packaged products

You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

Eat less meat

Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible

Fly less and share a car.

Answer 6

First of all, cars reduce air pollution because of the fact that it sends gases into the air from the backpipe.

then , the gases are being inhaled by many people and are being harmed from inhaling thses gases. Another thing that causes air pollution is cigarette smoke, it also causes secondhand smoke in which people inhales and dies.

Answer 7

The hybrid increases air pollution. To load up its batteries, you have to run the motor anyway, or you have to load it on the electric net. The electric net is mainly maintained in the USA by power plants with technology from the 1930's blowing every second tons of sulfur and carbon monoxide in our atmosphere. They are both deadly.

You can reduce air pollution with filters, which our power plants don't need by law. Europe has that laws. Cars could be much more efficient, technology is there, but again, nobody wants it here. The cars could cost 20 Dollar more.

There are countless ways to reduce pollution, but you have to get Bush first out of the White House.

Answer 8

How about an electric car that uses discarded batteries (rescued from recycling piles) .. doesn't that seem like a double-bonus for reducing air pollution. Can anyone think of a better vehicle? It also costs 30 cents a day to operate, including the cost of battery replacement!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEq-GbVcF...  (global TV newscast)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ymFIVX9V...

..

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/1091

..

Answer 9

None of the items listed thus far actually "reduce" air pollution.  Everything that has been listed only PRODUCES LESS pollution than the current widely used counterparts.  Things that REDUCE pollution are plants, rainstorms, (which physically knocks the pollution to the ground) and air purifing filters and systems.  Some scientists have been working on systems that could be used to actually clean the air using filters and lighter than air machines to carry them.  There are also plans for solar powered flying wings and other such ideas.  These are all things that actually REDUCE pollution, by removing more from the air than they create.

The items listed and the way your question was phrased are for things that have REDUCED PRODUCTION of pollution but yet still produce air pollution.

Answer 10

As you know, a car runs on gasoline (comes from petrolium) and is a product from "oil", well that oil can come from many other things than just petrolium. There's a problem, petrolium is running out and the world needs another fuel source, and batteries aren't enough; could you imagine the whole country charging their cars at night? The power cost would increase outrageously, that's why some countries are now planting AFRICAN PALMS, which is a great source of oil, it's healthier for food, it's cheaper, it pollutes like 76% less than gas, and it's also a good source of fuel to someday "replace" gasoline. If 6% of gasoline nowadays comes from African Palms and next year its gonna be 15%, imagine what % it would be in a few years.

Answer 11

Greener Automobiles+Alternative Fuels/Energy:

http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/gettin...

http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/howto...

http://www.bnl.gov/rideshare/reduction.a...

http://www.puregreencars.com/

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconom...

http://www.store.sundancesolar.com/

http://www.batteryvehiclesociety.org.uk/...

http://www.evuk.co.uk/

http://electric-cars-trucks.blogspot.com...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEq-GbVcF...

I have lots of info that I think you will find quite helpful and enlightening:

http://360.yahoo.com/blorm_multaeeneea_l... (For tons of inspirational info)

http://ecowellness.multiply.com/ (For all the environmental info)

Let us all strive for a greener/brighter future by helping to create a solid foundation for future generations to build upon, so we can hand them a beautiful world, filled with never ending awe and wonders!!

Where peoples differences and uniqueness are accepted, where we all live as one, helping one another so that we can all play our own mysteriously beautiful melodies in the never ending, awe inspiring, song of life :-)

Answer 12

The hybrid car still produces too much in the way of carbon dioxide.

If the United States switched to all hybrid cars, those hybrid cars would still produce too much carbon dioxide.

A better solution is to switch to all electric cars and generate that electricity with nuclear power plants.

We also need to convert the heating in our homes, offices and factories to electric heating with electricity generated by nuclear power plants.

We need to build about 2,000 nuclear power plants to handle all of our energy needs here in the United States.

This is the only way that we will be able to achieve enough of a reduction in our carbon dioxide output to make a significant reduction in Global Warming.

Answer 13

Some very good answers, but be careful with Hybrid cars. Actually there are small regular gasoline and diesel cars that pollute less than many Hybrides. Make sure of the fuel mileage.