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Transportation Alternatives:

Walking - the average person can walk one kilometer in ten minutes. Walking promotes health along with reduces the use of energy-consuming cars. In addition, if walking is made a social event, interactions amongst communities would increase unity, improving the state of the neighborhood. This mode is also global, no matter how small or large the city.

Cycling - this method in the everyday traffic can travel just as quickly as a car. Cycling is a mode of transport that is vastly efficient where at average fitness, 12 – 15 km can be covered in an hour. In addition, the cost of a bicycle is much lower than a car, saving money. Other related modes include rollerblading and skateboarding. Again, this alternative is useful in both rural and country areas and is ideal if the destination is without 10 km.

Carpooling - if the targeted destination is too far to walk or bike, carpooling serves as a great alternative where sharing a vehicle with just one other person reduces half the emissions and saves money. Much of gas consumption is attributed to carrying the extra bulk of passenger seats that as often left unused.

Subway System - By extending the subway routes and above-ground trains, more parts of the city are available for quicker access. Citizens would not then need to take additional buses to their destination, if it is within walking distance. This alternative however, may not be possible in smaller cities such as Winnipeg, Manitoba, where costs outweigh the benefits. Instead, the bus transit becomes a better choice.

Bus Transit - Taking the bus is a way large groups of people are able to move from one point to the next. Establishing electrically-driven buses, such as that found in Downtown Toronto, helps cut back on fuel consumption in heavily populated areas. This electrical system however, is costly and would not work as well in smaller cities with smaller budgets.

Water Quality - Another factor in relations to cleaner air is the need for better water quality, as pollutants also affect the medium in which we drink. The oil and unwanted particles are washed downstream, mingling with the creaks and rivers that scatter the region. This in effect would run off to the sea, affected life in the region in contact.

Greenhouse Gas - Climate change rests as a delicate risk which will be enormously affected if fuel efficiency is not increased. The Greenhouse has effect causes global warming, caused by the carbon dioxide in the air along with other nitrogenous particles. Habitats of animals, especially those in the colder regions, are highly affected as their lives are thrown off natural balance. The chemical chlorofluorocarbon, which is now commercial banned in Australia, increases the rate of ozone depletion.

Wildlife - Along with humans, wild life feel the impact of pollution, for it spreads to their habitat off rural areas. Dirty air affects the health of roaming air-born species, and polluted water harms marine life which causes them to produce mutated offspring. If one species dies off, it is bound to cause a chain-effect as the delicate equilibrium of the ecosystem is put as risk. In addition to health, the depletion of habitats for the use of commercial fuel renders these organisms without shelter and in turn, they are forced to relocate or risk extinction.

Air Quality - One major environmental factor that makes fuel efficiency a significant aspect is the need for cleaner air. The emission of hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, metals and numerous other forms of organic compounds are contributed to road transport. These particles at high levels endanger the health of the population due to their toxicity. Respiratory diseases such as Asthma hay fever and sinusitis are developed from the tainted air we breathe, along with eye irritation, and breathing problems. An increase in health complications has an economical impact as well, as workers are too ill to perform their jobs, and the efficiency of the workplace is put at a disadvantage. This problem is commonly present as more industrialized urban areas, where the need for fuel efficiency is at a high. The formation of acid rain is also another variable. Acid rain damages crops which is commercially exported and consumed.

Fuel Efficiency:
It is the efficiency of converting energy from to fuel to kinetic energy, or work. Cars are only around 15% fuel efficient, in terms of movement of the vehicle. The rest of the energy is lost by the following factors; Standby/idle: which includes waiting for a stop light to turn green. Engine losses: which is the energy used in the internal combustion engine. In addition, there is the use of air conditioning, windshield wipers, overcoming inertia and the tire resistance to the road.

A great amount of energy is used in moving the bulk of the vehicle. In the year 2006, the top three most fuel efficient vehicles were the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid.

General Theories
Since medical maladies were not greatly understood to the general public, there were numerous theories which floated from the masses as to how the Plague spread its deadly streak.

n 1348, the pope was sent to seek out medical opinion in Paris. Professors there thought that the Plague was a result of the poor alignment of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. This was applied to the opinion that the Earth was then polluted with poisonous vapors, causing the chaotic conditions that was currently spreading.

This theory could explain why there were many that believed the disease could be contracted through the rancid air wafting from the rotting bodies of the deceased, as well as the dying. And so, members of the living would try to mask or eliminate the scent by the use of incense. These included variety of juniper, laurel, pine, beech, lemon leaves, rosemary, camphor, and sulfur. When entering the exterior environment, handkerchiefs dipped in aromatic oils would cover the faces of the wandering. Pope Clement VI himself always situated himself between two fires to breathe in pure air licked by flames.

Apart from smell, the sense of sound was also widely used in public theories. During times of crisis, booming church bells would be rung, for it was thought that loud noises would veer the plague away from the habitants. Other techniques included the firing of cacophonic cannons.

The world of magic would also enter the logic of the desperate, for many apothecary and local wise women exploited the public panic by selling charms and talismans along with casting flamboyant spells, ceremonies and rituals.

Since there were no cures at the time, many cities gave determined attempts to stop the spread of the Black Death. Milan had officials wall up the houses that roomed those diseased with the plague, but this also trapped the healthy members living there as well. Venice also took to the method of isolation, although to a grander scale where incoming ships from other islands were quarantined.