In January it seems there are two things on almost everybody's minds: New Year's resolutions and shopping. These may seem hard to reconcile, but with the growing market of 'green' and ethical buyer products, it may legitimately be possible to concentrate the two and put your money where your mouth is in terms of those good intentions. Some of the most enchanting developments for environmentally aware consumers in 2008 will legitimately come from a surprising source: motoring and car companies.
If you're tiring of your current car - but you're not ready to go totally green and trade it in for walking, then communal transport or a bike (cycling, incidentally, is a great way to shift some of the 'festive plumpness' that's often an additional one top January concern) - it's worth finding into the environmental impacts of various vehicles' yield and manufacture. Find out about the fuel cheaper and emissions levels of cars before you buy, and you could be doing a big favour to the planet, human condition and your bank equilibrium too: obviously, smaller engines with greater efficiency mean you'll spend less on fuel while producing less harmful Co2.
Climate turn has been the hot topic of the year, from evening meal tables to boardrooms and from muddy campsites to Westminster and Washington. Even California's Governor, one Arnold Schwarzenegger, previously seen recovery the world from killer robots and Harrier-surfing terrorists, has added his distinctive voice to the lobby for cleaner, greener transport by setting ground-breaking goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the state. He plans to growth the number of hydrogen fueling stations in California (currently 25) to 200 and create a 'hydrogen highway' there by 2010, making it a Mecca for owners of carbon-neutral vehicles like his very own, wildly inefficient and high-priced but still hydrogen-powered, 'green Hummer'.
Good news for green consumerism, then, which is big news on this side of the pond too - some hybrid and electric cars are already available here and there's a fast-growing network of 'biodiesel' fueling stations across the Uk, with a mix of 5% biofuel to quarterly diesel already common thanks to the Rtfo plan. The 'half-way house' in the shorter term is represented by small, efficient vehicles like the new diesel Mini and the funky Smart range from Mercedes-Benz, which both also happen to be pretty remarkable in terms of looks.
Another thing to bear in mind whether you're finding for a new car or just to cut the costs of your driving is car insurance - it's vital to ensure this is up to date each year, as the law is quite clear that you can't drive without it. The car you pick will work on your premium, as will many other factors like your driving history, whether the car is kept in a garage, and even having a tracking gismo installed (often included with satellite navigation systems) can mean a big saving. You can also often save by taking out car and home guarnatee from the same provider, or plainly straight through a loyalty discount once you've found the business that's right for you.
Green Machines - Biofuels And Hybrid Cars To Clean Up The Streets In 2008