Featured tip:   Whenever possible, avoid idling your car in non-traffic situations

Tailpipe emissions generated from idling cars contain toxic pollutants that adversely affect the environment and human health. In terms of fuel economy, idling results in zero miles per gallon. Car idling — performed daily for 5 to 10 minutes by most drivers for reasons of both convenience and necessity — negatively affects fuel consumption and the environment. Every two minutes of car idling consumes the same amount of gas required to drive approximately one mile. If a driver idles for one hour, one gallon of gasoline is wasted. Contrary to automotive myth, restarting a car doesn't damage the engine and, in fact, 10 seconds spent idling consumes more fuel than restarting the engine.

P.S. Did you know that King County has an anti-idling policy?

7 things cyclists should replace every year

• Helmet - check for cracks or chips every season
• Bartape - sweat can cause aluminum oxidation
• Chain - new chain every 1,000 - 1,500 miles
• Gloves - break down after 1 year or 3-4 washes
• Brake Pads - ceramic rims go through pads faster
• Cables - get new or get purged with lubricant
• Tires - new tires every 2,000 - 2,500 miles

Don’t wash your own car

Commercial car washes use up to 100 less gallons of water to wash a car. They often recycle and reuse rinse water. If everyone who washed their own car chose to go to a professional car wash just once, up to 8.7 billion gallons of water could be saved and some 12 billion gallons of soapy, dirty water could be diverted from possibly entering rivers, lakes and streams.

Identify noxious weeds

Identify noxious weeds where you live. Aggressive exotic plants can produce immense numbers of long-lived seeds and may overwhelm native species, degrade habitat for wildlife, stick, stab and poke, and may even poison livestock or burn your skin. To help eradicate invasive weeds, King County provides a Web site with Noxious Weeds Identifications and best practices for control of select weeds. King County is available to answer your questions at the Noxious Weed line, 206-296-0290.

Updated: April 11, 2008