5 minutes – call a friend: Take a few minutes and call a co-worker or stop for a chat at the water cooler and set up a ride-share. Carpooling is an excellent way to lower your footprint. NRDC notes that EVEN if you live just ten miles away from work you can save 236 gallons of gas annually by carpooling. That’s a lot of gas and a lot of money.

>1 minute – turn off the car: Idling is a terrible waste of gas. In less than one minute you can turn that car off as you wait. NOTE you should only not idle if your wait is longer than 30 seconds. It does take less gas to restart a car then to leave it running BUT a newly started car also releases more start-up pollution.

2 minutes – pump the tires: I just recently put air into my tires (all four) and it took about two minutes. While small, this quick step can save you big on your carbon footprint. Having properly inflated tires can increase your fuel economy by 3%+. According to NRDC, if every single American kept their tires inflated to the correct level it would save 2.8 billion gallons of gas a year! PS now is a great time to check your tires because the cool weather of winter tends to deflate your tires more quickly than normal.

To learn more about green driving take a look at develop eco-driving habits.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Green Your Ride in Just Minutes

And the results? Astounding…

Key findings from the 2009 Low-Car Diet include:

• Individuals spent 67% less on vehicle-related costs compared to the previous month when they were driving their
  personally owned cars.
• 59% of participants said that the Low-Car Diet encouraged them to make other environmentally friendly changes in their life such as recycling, eating more organic foods and reducing their at-home energy usage (e.g. turning off lights and air conditioning)
• Individuals took 74% fewer trips by car overall and reduced overall vehicle miles traveled by 66%.
• Low-Car Diet participants doubled their public transit use with an amazing 98%  increased use of public transportation.
• Participants walked 93% more and biked 132% more, logging a combined total of 8,060 miles by bike during the Low-Car Diet month.
• 47% of participants said they lost weight.

These are some amazing results don’t you think? You can check out what participants had to say at the Low Car Diet site.

Zipcar, the company holding the event, offers car share services in many urban areas in the U.S. and in Canada (Vancouver + Toronto) along with London. You basically join up, reserve a car when you need one, and get moving; all for nominal fees as compared to owning your own car. Plus, as shown in the results above, a side benefit is better health and likely lower medical costs in the long run.

We’ll look at more about car sharing soon, but these healthy Low Car Diet results above should give you something to ponder in the meantime.

Post from: Blisstree

Zipcar’s 2009 Low-Car Diet

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]

Post from: Blisstree

Make any car more fuel efficient

Try these tips to green your ride:

Ditch the car: Of course, ditching your car is the greenest way to go. Not all the time, but at least some of the time try the following – walking (huh – you remember walking right?), biking, car pooling, public transportation, or roller skates. I know, skates, not so realistic, but the other options are good to go and greener than your car. If you’re really advantageous, try car sharing. Bold and green!

Buy a smaller more gas efficient car: Just because there’s no hybrid sticker slapped on that sucker, doesn’t mean your car can’t be greener than the next guy’s ride. Opt out of monster gas eaters and choose a gas efficient ride to conserve resources and lower your footprint. Need ideas – read Greener Cars.

Use eco-friendly car cleaners: You don’t even need to waste water with some of the newer car cleaners. Consider…

• Eco-Touch – watch for a review soon (I’m just waiting on some warmer weather).
• DIY eco-friendly car washing
• DIY eco-friendly car air freshener
• Look in your local yellow pages to find an eco-friendly car wash near you – these place recycle their water and use non-toxic cleaners.

Purchase eco-friendly car gear. Such as…

• Recycled Floor Mats – Rectangular Waterhog Eco Mats
• Organic infant seat covers
• Organic Quilted Car Seat Cover
• Organic wool car seat cover
• Eco-friendly car wax
• DIY fuzzy car steering wheel cover – (use organic materials)
• Show people what you think with cool green bumper stickers.

Got any other ideas about how to green your ride?

[image via stock.exchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Green Your Ride – Green Car Tips

The Nissan NV200:

Pop!

And inside – see you could live here.

So, this isn’t even a new car – I’m slower than slow about cars. Structures I get; cars, um, not so much. People are actually surprised when I can pump my own gas. (I grew up in Oregon). I really just like this car for the livability aspects. However, this is a cool green choice of an automobile, that much I do know. You can read all about it at ZerCustoms.

Better yet, learn all about green cars, trucks, and vans by visiting Eco Friendly Driver. Hilary, who blogs over at Eco Friendly seems to know about these things called breaks, sticks, engines, and safety ratings. Plus of course, she knows about it in a green way (double bonus).

[photos via ZerCustoms]

Post from: Blisstree

Not an offbeat house at all…