OTTAWA – The Government of Canada is partnering with the B.C. Climate Action Secretariat and the B.C. Safety Council to give Canadians tips on conserving fuel. Fuel-efficient driving information will now be incorporate ed into the council's driver safety courses, helping participants reduce vehicle fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.
"I'm pleased that the council's trainers will now be teaching new drivers about fuel efficiency," said the Honourable Ga ry Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources. "Fuel-efficient driving is one of the ways Canadians can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep more money in their pockets while living with today's high gas prices."
"We have long realized t hat safe driving practices and driving techniques for fuel conservation are almost synonymous," said Bryan Lowes, Executive Director of the B.C. Safety Council. "We look forward to working with the Government of Canada, through NRCan, and the Climate Action Secretariat to help our students and their families become more fuel-efficient."
The B.C. Safety Council, through its safe driving courses, will encourage new drivers to develop fuel-efficient driving habits. Since about half of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) generated by individual Canadians come from driving, promoting fuel-efficient driving behaviour is a direct and effective way to reduce GHG emissions.
The Government of Canada is also helping Canadians choose the most fuel-efficient model when they buy or lease a new vehicle. The 2008 Fuel Consumption Guide, available at ecoaction.gc.ca, lists the annual estimates of fuel use, fuel cost and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles available for sale in Canada.
The ecoENERGY for Personal Vehicles Program is part of the Government of Canada's ecoENERGY initiatives – a $3.6-billion set of focused measures to help Canadians use energy more efficiently, boost renewable energy supplies and develop cleaner energy technologies.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
The Government of Canada is partnering wi th the B.C. Climate Action Secretariat and the B.C. Safety Council to give Canadians tips on conserving fuel. Fuel-efficient driving information will now be incorporated into the council's driver safety courses, helping participants reduce vehicle fue l consumption by up to 20 percent.
Media may contact:
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
(613) 992-4447
The general public may contact:
Mon-Fri, 8:30-4:30 EDT
Telephone: 613-995-0947
TTY: 613-996-4397
(teletype for the hearing-impaired)
E-mail: questions@nrcan.gc.ca
NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.