Make any car more fuel efficient

While it might be nice if everyone went out and bought a hybrid, that’s not very realistic. What’s more realistic is realizing that hybrids be damned, you can green up your drive at least somewhat.

WHEN BUYING A CAR:

• Buy the most fuel efficient car you can afford in the class and size you want. Overall though, going for a smaller car will usually score you some easy green auto points.
• Choose extras that add to your car’s eco-worthiness. Items like radial tires and fuel injection can help. One biggie extra is buying as new as you can afford. Most newer cars do better than their past relatives when it comes to fuel efficiency.
• Check out car companies backgrounds to see how their eco-ethics stack up.
• Choose a car with a positive long-life rating.
• Use those muscles! Power windows and other power gadgets consume more gas. That said, it’s tough to find manual nowadays. I did see some when car shopping last year though.
• Choose the correct color car. People like to debate this, but most green guides recommend this.
• Get the best tires for your car that you can afford. Tires wear out alarmingly fast and most aren’t recycled. (Although, note, you can and should recycle your tires).

WHEN DRIVING A CAR:

• Don’t drive the damn car. I know that header says when driving, but the best way to save gas is to bike, take the bus, run, skateboard, or walk whenever feasible.
• Carpool when possible.
• Combine errands and shop at places close to home.
• Use cruse control on the freeway.
• Drive the speed limit.
• Keep your engine tuned, change your oil on time, rotate those tires, and keep up on all the other little maintenance chores you should be keeping up with.
• Buy less expensive gas. Gas companies want you to buy premium, but most cars run fine, some even better, on regular. The higher the octane, the worse it is for the planet because aromatics, i.e. harmful pollutants, are added to high octane gasoline.

How are you greening your ride?

[image via stock.xchng]