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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2621 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 415 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, Ride The Bus Riding the bus instead of driving can be one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. (NAPSA)—To put yourself on the road to preserving the ecology and your own economy, it may pay to take the bus. Public transit and school buses replace a significant number of cars on the road, making them an environmentally sound transportation option. Using public transportation saves the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. Research shows that by using public transit, the typical automobile driver can reduce individual daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds or more than 4,800 pounds per year. A single school bus can eliminate approximately 36 cars. With more than 480,000 school buses on the road each day, that’s nearly 17.3 million fewer vehicles on the streets, saving an estimated 2.3 billion gallons of fuel each year as well as reducing congestion, emissions and road wear and tear. “Today’s buses are more environmentally friendly than ever before, thanks to cleaner-burning engines, specialized particulate filters and alternative fuels,” notes Gary Catapano, senior vice president for Safety at FirstGroup America, the largest provider of ground transportation services in North America. New fuel standards require the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel, which improves emissions and runs significantly cleaner. Emis- sions have been reduced from more than 500 parts per million to less than 15 with ultra-low sulfur diesel. Most of his company’s buses “use ultra-low sulfur diesel and 750 run on compressed natural gas, an even cleaner-running fuel than diesel,” adds Catapano. Typical school bus engines burn about half a gallon of fuel per hour of idling. Cutting back on idling not only reduces emissions; it saves significantly on fuel costs. The school bus division strictly enforces an anti-idling policy, stating that no bus will idle in excess of three minutes while not in transit unless certain exceptions exist. Transportation companies are taking other steps to reduce their carbon footprint through waste recycling programs. For example, Catapano’s company’s program recycles more than 250,000 pounds of used oil filters annually throughout North America and will recycle enough used oil to eliminate 5,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year. The company recycles 7 percent of all waste including cardboard and glass, which represents more than 20,000 cubic yards per year of material that’s not going into landfills. You can learn more about how green a bus can be online at www.firstgroupamerica.com. Fight Flood Damage (NAPSA)—Floods can happen anytime and homeowners should be prepared. Here are hints: •Plan and practice a flood evacuation route. •Be prepared to turn off gas, water and electrical power. •Get a good pump. Generalpurpose pumps are for moving relatively clean water. Trash pumps are for water contaminated with sticks, leaves, stones and other waste materials. Size and type are important in selecting the right pump. Most pumps are either electric or gaso- Pumps can help protect your property in case of a flood. line powered. In the case of a flood, an electric pump won’t do you much good, as the power will likely be out. A gas-powered pump runs on the same gas as a car or lawnmower. “Other factors to consider include hose diameter, lift height, length, material and sprinkler or nozzle use,” explains Rock Reed, assistant vice president of Honda Power Equipment, marketer of a complete line of rugged, easy-touse, portable pumps. To make selecting the right pump for the right application easier, Honda offers free pump calculation software and other information at www.hondapowerequipment.com. The Way Your Community Is Built Could Be Affecting Your Family’s Weight (NAPSA)—Take a look around your city and neighborhood. Are there sidewalks? Where is the closest grocery store? Can you get there, or anywhere, without a car? Does your hometown or neighborhood make it easy for you and your children to be active in your daily lives? In countless communities across the nation, the answer is no. And with one in every three children considered overweight or obese—a figure that has more than doubled in the last 30 years—the need to change this situation is great. Research shows that the way our communities are constructed contributes to weight gain in our society. Known as the “built environment,” it includes the way everything from your home, your neighborhood and your community to roads, travel and work space are laid out. Experts say built environments don’t just affect physical activity— they also affect the foods we choose and the time we spend inside (likely in front of a television or computer screen), both major influencers of weight. For example, many communities don’t have grocery stores, which can mean reduced access to fresh and nutritious foods. In many places, convenience stores and corner markets offering packaged, processed snack foods are the only choices available. Some neighborhoods do not have safe playgrounds or sidewalks, so children are forced to spend their free time indoors. Sitting instead of moving makes it much harder to maintain a healthy weight. So what can you do to change this? Start by making a list of the improvements you could make in Research shows that children get more exercise in communities with usable sidewalks. your community, and then get together with your neighbors and local leaders to discuss how you can make those ideas a reality. Many communities have started by improving access to and maintenance of local parks; requesting safe and usable bike paths and sidewalks; asking for healthier meals and more physical activity at school; and exploring how to address a lack of nutritious food options and grocery stores. For other tips on how to live a healthier lifestyle, go to the We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) website: http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov. We Can! is a science-based program developed by the National Institutes of Health to provide tools and strategies for parents, caregivers and entire communities to help children—and whole families— maintain a healthy weight. So open your eyes to the possibilities of how even small steps— establishing a communitywide walk-to-school program, for example—can make a big difference in your family’s and your community’s health.