Section 1, Topic 6
Section 1 (At Home ways to Reduce your Environmental Impact) - Topic 2 (The Benefits of Electric Cars)
Hello, Save our Beautiful Planet members!
Welcome to Section 1, Topic 6, The Benefits of Electric Cars!
So, what is an electric car, and what does it have to do with the environment?
An electric car runs completely on electricity, which is why it's different from it's cousin, the gas car. Most cars are gas cars, but in the next generation, that should change, because gas cars leave a bigger environmental footprint than electric cars.
Gas cars run on gas, which emits greenhouse gases every time you run the engine. Greenhouse gases slowly warm up the earth, creating climate change. Artic ice melts, meaning sea levels will rise. This is extremely damaging to the environment, because the more sea levels rise, the more likely floods will be. I'll go into more of this in a future topic.
Electric cars, however, don't use gas. They run on - you guessed it! - electricity. As explained in a previous article (How to Save A lot of Energy), electricity does emit Co2, but the amount is reduced significantly, especially if your electric car runs on renewable energy.
Many companies are switching over to electric cars, knowing that the future generation tends to look out for the environment, and won't invest in gas cars as much as the previous generation.
Also, another benefit of electric cars is the cost to charge your car. Since your car is using up electricity, you can literally park you car in the driveway and connect it to an outlet so that it can charge. The cost of gas > the cost of electricity.
But there are other ways to help the earth via driving.
1. Carpool
How does carpooling help the environment? To explain this, I'll create an analogy. Billy, Bob, and Joe (welcome to the science of the most unimaginative names in history), are 3 kids going to school. Joe's Mom drives Billy, Bob, and Joe to school everyday. They are using up 1 car's worth of gas. Then one day, Joe's Mom can't drive Billy Bob, and Joe to school. (I don't know why. This is an analogy! The point of it is to prove my point about carpooling, not to be realistic. You can find out what happened. Maybe a dinosaur ate the Mom). So, Billy, Bob, and Joe take separate cars to school, and they're using up 3 car's worth of gas, instead of one. Following me? Good. You can now see why carpooling is better for the environment than driving individual cars. Also, it's more fun. You can drive a car with your friend instead of driving it all alone like Olivia Rodrigo in driver's license. (Speaking of which.... *turns on song and then continues*)
2. Ride a bus
Riding a bus is like carpooling, but instead it involves more people and a bigger vehicle. Some might point out that because the vehicle is bigger, it emits more Co2. However, the bus operates everyday, and so it would be worse for the environment to drive your separate vehicle instead. Another benefit: You don't have to spend all your attention driving your car. You can read the newspaper or send emails instead. And you can eat, too! (Well, COVID-19 will have to be over to do that).
3. Walk or Ride a Bike
You can walk or ride a bike, which emits no Co2. Also, you get your exercise, which is good for you! (Is it just me, or do I keep listing Olivia Rodrigo songs on accident?)
Thanks for reading this article, Save our Beautiful Planet Members! Check out our last article: Food Waste. Make sure to also come back next week for the article on Halloween Candy that's Good for the Environment, and get into the Halloween spirit.
Again, thanks for reading!
-@earthmelon12345
