Highway Robbery: Ways to Save Gas Right Now

Gas prices got you down? Save at the pump with some simple car tips.

Pump It Up
Check your tire pressure. More than a quarter of all cars and nearly one-third of all SUVs, vans and pickups have under-inflated tires, according to a survey by the Department of Transportation. If we all keep our tires pumped up right, the nation could save 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

Slow It Down
Ease up on the pedal. Slowing down from 75 to 65 miles per hour will drop your highway gasoline consumption about 15 percent. That's money in your pocket.

Cut the Engine
If you're stuck at a freight train crossing, waiting to pick up a teenager or trapped in a huge traffic jam, turn off your engine. Across the country, idling cars waste millions of gallons of gasoline every day. If your wait is longer than 30 seconds, restarting the engine uses less gas than leaving it running.

Commute Smarter
Share a ride to work, telecommute or use transit. If your daily commute is just 10 miles each way (the national average) and you normally drive a 20-mpg vehicle, you would save 236 gallons of gas each year by opting to carpool, telecommute or use transit. If each commuter car carried just one more passenger once a week, we would cut America's gasoline consumption by about 7.7 million gallons.

Get in Tune
Take your car in for regular maintenance (check your owner's manual to find out how often your car needs a tune-up). Following the recommended maintenance schedule keeps your car running better and longer. A poorly tuned or poorly maintained engine can increase gasoline consumption by as much as 15 percent.

Use Good Motor Oil
Choose fuel-efficient motor oil marked with an "Energy Conserving" label by the American Petroleum Institute. Motor oils with additives that reduce friction can increase a vehicle's fuel economy by 3 percent or more.

Buy an Efficient Car
If you're in the market for a new car, get one that uses less gas. Think about how big a vehicle you really need. Then compare models in the same class, and pick the one with the highest miles-per-gallon rating.

Simple Steps...

Reuse and Repair Old Furniture

Before buying new, think about purchasing used.  Check out local antique shops for unique furniture- something no one else has.  You’d be amazed at the compliments you’ll receive from others on your individual style. 

  
Buy and Bring Reusable Containers

You can prevent a lot of trash by taking these easy steps:  Take a reusable mug along for your delicious Peace Coffee or Tea.  Bring canvas bags to the market for your groceries, and pack your lunch with reusable containers.  Use your Klean Kanteen to carry your water, rather than continually buying those nasty plastic bottles.

 
Stop Unwanted Mail

Reduce the amount of paper you need to recycle and de-clutter your life by reducing the amount of junk mail that enters your home.  For more information on:

How to stop junk mail: Green Dimes

Eliminate credit card offers: www.optoutprescreen.com

A national movement to reuse unwanted items: www.freecycle.com

Bring Home the Goods, Not the Packaging

Buy in bulk when possible, and purchase products with the least amount of packaging possible.  

Composting Food and Yard Waste

Yard waste and food scraps also add to what each household throws away.  Composting allows you to convert that waste and use it as an enriching soil additive.  

Those Darn Lightbulbs
Replacing old lightbulbs with compact fluorescent ones could trim up to 5% on your monthly electricity bill.  Traditional bulbs can be thrown away in your regular trash, but compact fluorescents cannot.  Contact your local hardware or home improvement store, there is a good chance they accept compact fluorescents for recycling.
 
Recycle TV’s, Monitors and Other Electronics

Keep mercury and lead out of our environment (and protect our health) by recycling your old TV’s and monitors.  Replace bulky computer monitors with a flat LCD monitor.  LCD monitors use about one third the electricity of conventional tube monitors- the equivalent of leaving a 50-watt lightbulb on all year.  Save our natural resources and keep electronics out of our trash.

 
Don’t Burn Your Trash 
Burning your trash in a burn barrel or fire pit releases poisonous toxins that pollute our air, water and soil, ultimately ending up in the food we eat.  Get rid of your trash the safe way- through your local trash hauler or at local drop off site.

Paint with a Purpose
Choose a paint low in volatile compounds- VOC's.  Inhaling VOC's can cause health problems as well as harm our environment.

 

 
Look for recycled content products when shopping to help save valuable resources, conserve energy and reduce pollution