Saving gas and not polluting the air is usually not the first thing on everyone’s mind, but this week it can be.

Carpool Week is happening this week and with the cold weather here it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing starting one less vehicle.

In the cold it takes more time to get in your vehicle, start it up, blare the heat and wait five minutes longer before you actually put your vehicle in drive and go to your destination.

According to Environment Canada, overall transportation represents the largest single source of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 27 per cent of the total.

For some, they have places to go and people to see so there is “no time” to think about making their schedule mesh with another person’s.

If you think about it, you are not only helping yourself by taking one less vehicle off the road, but you are helping out your city too.

Fewer vehicles on the road can mean less traffic to wait on, which means fewer impatient drivers, so there will be fewer accidents from people making wrong choices.

That can be only one way of thinking about it.

Try thinking about this: Thousands of people living in Lethbridge are either post-secondary students or senior citizens. Students are the ones always driving to school or work and seniors are the ones who have to suffer. By polluting the air you are slowly making it harder for those with health issues to breathe.

It’s funny how one simple week can make a big impact within the city.