Over 87% of us commute to work by car daily, collectively creating for the nation a Paul Bunyon sized carbon footprint. Unlike Europe, where most of the populous resides in cities, the majority of American’s live on the outskirts, in sprawling suburbs, necessitating driving to work.
Fortunately, despite the inevitability of commuting, there are numerous ways you can green your drive:
Think carpooling. Shockingly, 77% of us drive to work alone, challenging our claim as the planet’s most social species. The US would save 8 billion of gallons of gas annually if every commuter car carried just one extra person. On a personal level, carpooling can save you money on gas and allow access to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, trimming your commute time.
You can easily find carpoolers in your area through several Websites:
Drive, if possible, no faster than 55 m.p.h. Your car’s fuel efficiency decreases by 10% for every 5 m.p.h. you go over 55.
Use public transportation. If this is a major inconvenience try, at least, to use it once a week.
Kill your engine if you anticipate your car idling longer than 30 seconds. This means turning off your vehicle while waiting to collect kids from school. Or while stalled in road construction. And instead of inching through a fast food drive thru, park and order inside.
Turn off the air conditioner. It can consume up to 15% of your car’s energy.
Cut down on wind resistance by removing bike and luggage racks.
Empty your trunk of golf clubs and other heavy items not in use. Every additional 50 pounds trims your vehicle’s fuel efficiency by 1%.
Avoid, if possible, driving during morning and afternoon rush hours. Sometimes all it takes is leaving 15 minutes earlier or later.
Follow a different route to avoid road construction.
Avoid the type of jackrabbit starts that drag the blood to the back of your skull. Studies show such tactics only reduce your driving time by 4%, yet can increase your fuel consumption by up to 40%.
Keep your tires properly inflated. Under-inflation can reduce fuel efficiency by 6%.
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