Apparently, over the last year – Nov 08 through June 09, Americans drove 53.3 billion less miles than the same period a year earlier. This was obviously due to escalating prices at the pump. It was hard on our pocket books, but gentle on the planet. Now that gas prices have temporarily gone down, many of us are jumping right back into our old habits. Apparently sales of SUV’s and trucks are on the rise again and people have stopped car-pooling and taking public transport. I urge all of you Green Girls to stick to your money-saving habits and drive less. With the economy hurting most of us, it won’t harm to save a few dollars when and wherever you can. However, most importantly, you can make a huge difference to pollution levels and green house gases, by continuing to:
- Car Pool
- Cycle or walk for at least one of your short daily trips
- Think twice before jumping in your car to pick up something – is it really necessary?
- Check your car tires are pumped to the recommended level at least once monthly?
Let us know if you have made any changes in your driving habits. Have any of you decided to share a car with your partner or a family member and if so, how is that working out?
The biggest change I have made in my driving habits (which I started BEFORE the prioces jumped to $4/gal here in SC) is to thinkbefore jumping in the car for the least little thing. I stop and ask myself, “Can I wait until tomorrow to get this, when I am on my way to or from work?” Or, if my husband is out working, I will call and ask him to pick it up for us. This has cut down quite a bit on our mileage each week. And we’re not being lulled by the temporary drop in prices; we figure there’s no way they’ll stay down!
I’m asking for one thing and one thing only this christmas. A Bike! I am asking all of my family members to chip in and help me buy a bike. Then I can take it instead of my car to the library, grocery store, work, etc. Until then, I’m trying to consolidate my car trips as much as possible, and take only one car if I’m with someone else.
We have the pleasure of living in a small sustainable community in Denver…here this means that everything is close by. Eat, work, play…all within minutes. We ride together as much as possible and when not heading to work our primary mode of transportation is scooters. So fun and 110 mpg!! When the snow comes we will just keep carpooling and my boyfriend’s work provides him with an eco-pass… All public transportation is free!
I’m a junior in high school. I have a brother who is a year ahead of me. When I hang out after school which is about twice a week, I have my brother drive me to school in the mornings and my boyfriend picks me up. It really does save us a lot of money. we have been doing it for about a year now. It’s been great car pooling. The funny part was trying to get my classmates to understand why I carpool. They really had a hard time with the concept…haha.