Instead…

• Make your own ride as efficient as possible. If you drive a serious gas guzzler but you drive less than other folks you’re still gonna come out ahead. Make a goal to drive less, combine trips, and bus it or bike or (gasp) even walk more.
• Empty out the trunk. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that simply removing excess weight from your car can green your ride. For example, when you lose 100 pounds of gear your MPG improves by 2% – which adds up.
• SLOW DOWN! How super fast do you really need to get to the store anyhow?
• Keep your car properly maintained. Things like old oil filters, badly inflated tires, and other basic maintenance blunders will make your car less efficient and thus less eco-friendly.
• Carpool whenever possible.
• Buy cheap gas – which sounds bad but actually the higher the octane, the worse it is for the planet. Aromatics, otherwise known as harmful pollutants, are added to high octane gasoline.
• Use cruse control on the freeway.
• No matter the car you purchase, make sure it’s got a longer life rating that average. Long lasting = greener.

And of course, keep on saving up for your dream hybrid

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

They have cool recycled bike ideas, cool ideas to DIY bling your ride, and a cool logo to boot.

You know you want to click that logo.

At Bike Hacks you’ll find…

A shower seat made from an old bike

DIY Hard Saddle Bag Hack

Bicycle Made from Plastic Bottles

How to ugly your bike

Canoe Bike Trailers

And sooooooo much more. If you’re a bike enthusiast, you have to visit Bike Hacks. Plus half the team hails from the Pacific Northwest, which in my opinion always makes a blog worth at least one visit. Then again, I could be prejudice.

Visit Bike Hacks.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I just got a heads up about a cool new club for earth-loving kids. The Clean Air Club, is an interactive website that helps to teach kids about the importance of protecting their environment. The club (and website) are appropriate for kiddos 14 and under.

The club was started by Cook-Illinois Corporation, the nation’s largest independently owned and operated school bus company. Recently, Cook-Illinois Corporation made some eco-changes to their company; they switched most of their fleet of 1,700 schools buses to bio-diesel fuel. This switch reduces around 1000 tons of toxic emissions in Chicago.

About the club – perks for kids:

• Any kid under 14 can join nationwide, not just Chicago youth.
• All members receive a free gift for joining plus a quarterly newsletter.
• Kids who join up can enter to win prizes for writing essays.
• There are lots of cool kid-friendly learning materials at the site about bio-diesel plus games and activities.

About that killer bus above:

The Clean Air Club Bus, is a recycled school bus, created by Cook-Illinois Corporation. It travels to local Chicago area schools to share hands-on, interactive exhibits with kids.

Get your littles online, and head over to the new Clean Air Club to learn more.

[bus image via Clean Air Club]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• Alternating schedules, or lining up schedules so they overlapped slightly in order to allow time for one of us to drop the other off.
• I was in college, and the person I lived with worked so we found child care within walking distance of my college or Cedar would go to classes with me, which eliminated one trip to a further away childcare.
• We planned ahead for normal stuff like shopping trips into town – i.e. did everything at once instead of needing to make many small trips.

Other things a two car family can try in a normal urban area include: NOTE - obviously not all the options below will work for everyone, but one may work for you.

• Car-pooling with another person or family.
• Walking, biking, or skating – good for you and carbon-free.
• Public transportation: While small areas may lack PT, many large cities have excellent transport options beyond cars. Visit the American public transportation association to learn more.
• Have someone work at home.
• Try a car share. Zipcar is available in many major U.S. cities and in London. You can also check out car sharing for more car share options.
• Rent a car if one is needed for a temporary change in schedule.

If you really can’t lose one car, you can make a difference by purchasing a yearly auto carbon offset.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

If the Chariot Trike featured yesterday isn’t quite what you have in mind, take a look at the Sport Utility Bicycle (SUB). xtracycle allows you to convert the bike you have or purchase a complete SUB that fits your needs.

SUBs can be used for transporting just about anything — kids, pets, groceries and recycling. Get more details and see all the looks at xtracycle.

Images via flickr carfreedays and flickr cafemama.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in September 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The Worksman Family Single Chariot Mover Trike is designed for one passenger — a child or adult.

Worksman Cycles also offers a dual chariot for more than one passenger, as well as any other type of bike you might want! Even an antique high wheel replica.

And they’re all made in the US since 1898. No wonder they know how to make the high wheel bikes…

Image via Worksman Cycles.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in September 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Did you learn anything new from Lord Petro?

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Conserve or Move… the fight against change by Hilary at eco friendly driver.

Consumer Reports tells you what they learned in Fuel economy: Save money on gas.

And here’s a video with a some great tips. For instance, I never thought about keeping the tank between half full and empty. The lower weight means better mileage. Of course, you might have to fill up for longer trips…

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The whole thing makes me want to not own a car anymore. I did happen to fill up my Civic today, and I paid $41 for the cheap stuff.

But does that mean I want to go out and mess up ecosystems on US shores in hopes that it might save me a few bucks at the pump? I think you know.

Even if there were enough untapped oil in the US to lower prices, it’s a very finite resource. And the first drop of oil wouldn’t come for three to five years after drilling starts. We obviously can’t continue our serious dependence on oil of any kind — foreign or otherwise. The big answers should not come from politicians making unfounded promises to lower our gas bills.

I don’t have all the answers, but I’m smart enough to know that it’s not more oil and pollution that we need. I would have hoped the Presidential candidate on a major ticket would have known that too.

Until the the technology for gasoline-free cars is out there and affordable for everyone, there are a few other things you can do. I know, you’ve heard them all before, but repetition is the old school way of learning, after all.

• Walk or bike instead of drive, at least two days a week

• Carpool

• Live closer to work

• Use public transportation if available

So, you may be wondering why I’m disappointed in McCain when Bush is actually the one in power who’s actively trying to lift the ban on offshore drilling. It’s because I already knew what Bush is all about. Naive me thought that just maybe McCain was serious about his environmental concerns. Well, I guess I have my answer to Would John McCain be a Green President.

Please let McCain know what you think about his decision to support coastal drilling.

Image via flickr.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Imagine living close enough to walk or bike to work. For many, the higher cost of gas is stimulating that reality. And if there’s anything good about the high gas prices, it’s that it’s helping us to reduce emissions!

Read this CNN lifestyles article about how many people are making changes to avoid spending money on gas.

Have you made any lifestyles changes because of gas prices?

Image via flickr.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family