Thursday, June 12, 2008

Conserving Gas

As gas prices continue to climb, people are looking for ways to reduce their gas consumption. A positive aspect of high gas prices is that as people reduce their gas use they are also reducing their carbon footprint. This means that by looking for ways to stretch their gas budget, people that don't consider themselves "green" may actually be living a greener life.
Here are some ideas to help you out:

1. Ride your bike to work. By riding your bike you will save money while improving your health and depending on where you live - you may even get to work faster. In this year's Great NYC Commuter Race, which is a race between a bike, a car, and the subway to see which is the fastest commute - the biker won again.

2. Carpool. Carpooling reduces the number of cars on the road and splitting the ride and it's cost saves you money.

3. Plan your errands better. Plan your trips to include all your errands in that part of town instead of driving all over town several times a day.

4. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by about 3%, and save up to 7 cents per gallon.

5. For short trips, walk instead of driving.

In an effort to reduce our gas consumption, my family is using all the above tips. Our two big changes, my husband is biking the short distance to his work and since I work farther away and am typically traveling with my 8 year old daughter - I am carpooling.

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