Being environmentally conscious is a personal responsibility that each of us as individuals needs to be aware of. Gone are the days of blissful ignorance.
What we do or don’t do daily as individuals has a profound effect on future generations that we may never meet or know.
Embracing an eco friendly life style isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds. It starts with a personal commitment. And the last thing an individual wants to do is ‘preach it’ to those around them. Sure, share it with your peers, but don’t beat them over the head with it. That’s negativity, and turns people off. It’s better to let them ask about it after noticing it in your life.
How to Get Started
First you simply make the mental commitment. Then it’s a matter of simple awareness. It takes time to fully embrace eco friendly practices so the best way is to adopt the tortoise and hare approach. Go into it slowly at first. Consider changing 1 thing a week about your lifestyle that can save energy. And what a better place to start than with your transportation needs.
On average Americans spend around 17% of their entire house hold income on transportation costs. Cutting this figure in half is easier than most people think. We’ve listed the top 3 things that affect fuel mileage here, and have a more comprehensive list located on our fuel savings page.
Drive Less
That’s right! Driving less is the most effective thing that you can do to save on your overall fuel costs. How to do it is by managing your trips so that when you do have to go someplace, you accomplish more than one task. Do you have to have it (whatever it is) right away? If not put off picking it up till you have a few more errands to run. A lot of times you can shop online and save by not even having to go to the store. Another method is buying in bulk. Do you make weekly trips to pick up the same things over and over? Buy them in bulk online. If you Amazon order is high enough you don’t even have to pay the shipping.
Planning your trips in advance when traffic is lighter. Not having to stop and start in busy traffic saves quite a bit on fuel.
Drive the right vehicle
The next time you need to replace one of your vehicles ask yourself this. Do I really need a large SUV or Truck? Most people find the answer to be no. Sure it’s more fun driving that big gas hog. But the penalty you pay at the pump for vanity can be painful to say the least. Smaller more fuel efficient cars can allow you to have money in your budget that you may not have ever known can be there. And if you really want to save by a smaller motorcycle.
Keep your vehicle maintained
Having your engine tuned and running properly is critical to getting the best mileage possible. Old spark plugs and small vacuum leaks can cause gas mileage to drop as much as 50%. Keep your fluids changed regularly. Make sure that you have adequate air pressure in all of your tires and always make sure that your gas cap is screwed on tight.
To learn more about cutting fuel costs visit our fuel savings page.