Allen Davis, a Pioneer Valley resident, has been driving no faster than 55 mph for the past 7 years except in special circumstances or emergencies. Here’s Allen’s compelling explanation why this is an important and worthwhile step we should all consider:
1. For most of us, the car is our biggest fossil fuel footprint, followed by residence and plane travel, and approximately 30% of CO2 emissions come from vehicles.
2. The average American drives between 12,000-15,000 miles a year.
3. Each gallon of gas burned produces 20 pounds of CO2: Visualize a 20 pound rock.
4. Driving 55 results in cutting your CO2 emissions between 15%-32% (“Step On The Gas? Not So Fast,” Consumer Reports, August 2013).
5. Since the typical car gets 25 MPG and the average American drives between 12,000-15,000 miles annually, using the conservative number of 12,000 = 480 gallons of gas and 9,600 pounds of CO2!
6. Hence, Driving 55 will cut your yearly auto CO2 emissions by about 1440 pounds and over 10 years it’s 14,400 and if 1,000 people follow you it becomes 1,440,000 pounds!
So, it’s a great way to make a huge difference in creating a sustainable future for all sentient beings without buying anything new (e.g. No Tesla or Prius).
If you want to take this step and pledge to Drive 55, send Allen an email at drive55tosurvive@gmail.com. And feel free to call Allen at 603.563.8428 if you have any questions or want to promote this grassroots campaign.
