How to Travel Green

One of the best ways to be environmentally conscious in your car is improving your fuel economy. There is a tool to help you locate gas close to your home at the cheapest price so you don’t have to waste time and gas searching for it here.

At Home—Proper Preparation

-       Use your garage if you have one. It keeps your car warmer in winter and cooler in summer, meaning you have to use less energy to make it comfortable when you get back in it.

-       Keep your tires properly inflated and your engine tuned. Proper maintenance helps save on gas mileage.

-       Dispose of maintenance waste properly. A gallon of used oil poured into the water drainage system can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water—a year's supply for 50 people.

-       Make as few trips as possible. For instance, when running errands, make sure you do them all at once, not stopping at home in between.

On The Road—Efficient Execution

-      Save gas and the environment by commuting without your car. Take public transportation, ride your bicycle or walk if you can, and telecommute whenever possible.

-       If you must drive to work, avoid commuting during rush hours and keep track of traffic so you can avoid it. It helps to lower your emissions, raise your gas mileage and save some of the money you’re earning when you’re not driving.

-      Don’t drive aggressively—it wears down your gas mileage for any given trip. This means don’t speed and don’t accelerate and brake too frequently.

-      Use your overdrive. It slows down the engine at high speeds, letting you save on gas mileage.

-      Removing all unnecessary objects from your car and trunk to keep your car light and conserve gas and money.

-      Use the air conditioning sparingly, especially when driving under 40 mph. It takes a lot of energy to run!

Far From Home—Smart at a Distance

-       Look for opportunities to have a “staycation”—a local vacation. Are there places that are closer to home that you can drive to or take a train? Planes produce a lot of pollution and the cost of flying is ever rising, so reducing the amount of planes trips helps the environment and your wallet.

-       Look for hotels that are green-certified to ensure that your stay isn’t wasting resources such as extra water on daily towel and sheet washing for extended stays.

-      When you can, choose e-tickets over paper tickets. There is often a charge for paper tickets now, and e-tickets can’t get lost in the mail.

-      Before you leave home, suspend your mail and newspaper subscriptions, adjust your thermostat, turn down your water heater and unplug electrical appliances.