This has not been our winter for putting the car away. My placement in Saint Paul made things very difficult and this week is especially a weird one -- three dinner dates, two to the suburbs. We also have other activities either in the suburbs or on the other side of town due to me being on break and us cramming in a ton of activities. We will also be visiting a state park 1.5 hours away to go snowshoeing. We'll be using the car more than usual this week because of that, but the good news in my student teaching placement is on my bus route, so I will be busing five days a week. Guthrie will be busing (as he usually does) to the Courage Center 4-5 days per week. The car will get a rest. We are definitely not winter bikers, and don't pretend to be. Though I am excited to get rid of the snow already because I do miss exercising and commuting at the same time.
The manual has an interesting fact: American car owners spend an average of 1,000 hours annually behind the wheel. Yikes! I hate the car! Definitely would rather be someplace else--at least on public transit you can read (or knit!).
Okay, the steps for today (though, I'm not going to lie, due to the unusual week, we will be breaking some rules--though we have been carpooling with many of our dinner date couples and friends to these activities!):
1. Take stock of your habits. Make a list of everywhere you are going today and how you usually get there.
Guthrie -- took the bus today. I'm at home today. We will go out to eat later, but will take the car since Guthrie would miss the meeting time if he took the bus. Sadly, a draw back of public transit: It takes more time.
2. Throughout the day, make a list of everything you eat, where you eat, and where you purchase your food. (Getting reading for tomorrow!)
3. "Go! Bike, walk, scoot, glide, hop on the bus. Carpool." Due to the subzero temps and places we are going off of the bus grid, we will be doing more of the last two. I don't feel bad, it is what it is, and maybe next winter we'll be able to extend our eco-commute from the winter months. Though, now that it is cold, remember not to idle, and drive carefully and safely with properly inflated tires, it maximizes your mileage. Accelerate slowly and take your foot off of the accelerator as soon as you an when approaching a yellow or red light. If you check your MPG every time you fill up, you will see some changes. Also, make sure you are using your cruise control when you can on the highway--definitely saves on long trips. There's an interesting article that talks about using the cruise control almost all of the time to keep you at the speed limit, and to help you to accelerate slowly.
Want to learn more about how to get the most mileage out of your car? Check out hypermilers.com.
4. Reflect and write down five things you are thankful for:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Food
4. Felines (can't believe I didn't think of this yesterday)
5. Freckles -- why not? :)
The other part of today is to take action. They provide a link to the Sierra Club to to learn more about issues and to sign petitions all in one place. You can also sign up for quick and simple email action alerts through the Sierra Club.
That's all for today. Stay tuned tomorrow for Food!
Peace!
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Twenty-Four - Car Maintenance
There are some easy peasy lemon squeezy things I found out that Laura and I could do while at the gas station that will help our car run more smoothly and, at the same time, help lower our emissions and reduce air pollution. We found four simple tips from the book, The Green Year.
Firstly, don't top off your gas tank because the added gas takes up space that is needed for your gas to expand in the tank. I always rounded up to the next dollar or half dollar for my benefit but, apparently, if this space is taken up then the gas tends to evaporate in the vapor collection system, causing your car to run poorly and increase emissions. Secondly, fill up at night when at all possible. More gas fumes are released in the air from the gas pumps when it is hotter outside, depleting the ozone layer. Thirdly, getting a car wash at the gas station is a great idea. Not only do you get a discount when filling up, but much water is conserved in the process. Commercial car washes use around 45 gallons per wash (compared to the 80-160 gallons used at home) and have a waste-water management system so water contaminated with chemical soap doesn't get into the sewer system. Finally, click your gas cap three times to prevent unnecessary gas evaporation. If your cap is too loose you may be contributing to the 147 millions gallons of gas that is needlessly evaporated in the air each year because of loose, broken or missing gas caps.
There is another great tip Laura and I came across as well that will help keep your car in great shape and reduce your impact on Mother Nature. Recently, there was a New York Times article that discussed the oil change every 3,000 miles adage that has been passed down from generation to generation. Well, the idea that changing your oil every 3,000 miles is best for your car is a myth. It's a waste of money and should only be done every 6,000 miles or so. Here's Why: firstly, check your car manual to see what the manufacturers suggestion is. It will probably be around 6,000 to 7,500 miles. In California alone, nearly 153 million gallons of oil are used each year for this purpose. No good. At some point in time, the 3,000 mile adage made sense but since then engine technology and oil chemistry have improved. Laura and I grew up adhering to the parental adage that you must religiously change your oil every 3,000 miles or else you will ruin your car. Having this new knowledge is great considering that we take great care of our car and don't use it that often, so there's no need to impact Mother Earth even more and use more money and oil than we already do. The article also states that if you use your car less than 3,000 miles a year, get an oil change once a year. If more than 3,000 miles but still driving it sparingly then every 6 months will do the trick.
Safe travels!
Firstly, don't top off your gas tank because the added gas takes up space that is needed for your gas to expand in the tank. I always rounded up to the next dollar or half dollar for my benefit but, apparently, if this space is taken up then the gas tends to evaporate in the vapor collection system, causing your car to run poorly and increase emissions. Secondly, fill up at night when at all possible. More gas fumes are released in the air from the gas pumps when it is hotter outside, depleting the ozone layer. Thirdly, getting a car wash at the gas station is a great idea. Not only do you get a discount when filling up, but much water is conserved in the process. Commercial car washes use around 45 gallons per wash (compared to the 80-160 gallons used at home) and have a waste-water management system so water contaminated with chemical soap doesn't get into the sewer system. Finally, click your gas cap three times to prevent unnecessary gas evaporation. If your cap is too loose you may be contributing to the 147 millions gallons of gas that is needlessly evaporated in the air each year because of loose, broken or missing gas caps.
There is another great tip Laura and I came across as well that will help keep your car in great shape and reduce your impact on Mother Nature. Recently, there was a New York Times article that discussed the oil change every 3,000 miles adage that has been passed down from generation to generation. Well, the idea that changing your oil every 3,000 miles is best for your car is a myth. It's a waste of money and should only be done every 6,000 miles or so. Here's Why: firstly, check your car manual to see what the manufacturers suggestion is. It will probably be around 6,000 to 7,500 miles. In California alone, nearly 153 million gallons of oil are used each year for this purpose. No good. At some point in time, the 3,000 mile adage made sense but since then engine technology and oil chemistry have improved. Laura and I grew up adhering to the parental adage that you must religiously change your oil every 3,000 miles or else you will ruin your car. Having this new knowledge is great considering that we take great care of our car and don't use it that often, so there's no need to impact Mother Earth even more and use more money and oil than we already do. The article also states that if you use your car less than 3,000 miles a year, get an oil change once a year. If more than 3,000 miles but still driving it sparingly then every 6 months will do the trick.
Safe travels!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
More on Green Traveling (and Green Driving in General)
In the week and a half that Guthrie and I posted about Green Travel, we have actually learned a ton more that I wanted to share with everyone. Most of these refer to traveling by car and are from or inspired by The Green Year by Jodi Helmer, a cute little book from my grandma.
For the first time Guthrie and I used a GPS. Though not very useful in Minneapolis where 99.9% of the time we know where we are going and it's gridded, taking out much of the guess work, it would have been helpful in Atlanta! On trips, it's quite helpful because it saves buying maps and printing off directions. If you must look up directions (and this is anytime), have the directions sent to your phone or at least write it on a scrap piece of paper and recycle or compost it afterwards.
More on packing light - in cars, 100 pounds of cargo decrease fuel efficiency by 2 percent. It can add up quickly if you travel a lot! If you currently store things in your car -- take it out! You only need the essentials: car emergency kit and some winter clothing items if you drive in Minnesota in the winter months. Those golf clubs? They should be stored in the garage.
If you are gone more than a couple of days, contact the post office and stop the mail. Transporting excess mail that won't be read for a while and can just wait will save the post office on fuel costs.
Keep an eye on your Tachometer (you know, the thing with the RPMs we rarely look at). Keeping the car revving lower than 3,000 rpms will not only save on gas, but is more gentle on the engine, extending the life of your car.
A/C v. Windows? This book says that you improve fuel economy by 20 percent or more if you drive with the A/C on and the windows up, though this is on the highway, which is where you mostly are on road trips. In the city, most of our driving is within an hour of home and not on the highway. Put those windows down says treehugger.com.
One for air travel -- invest in a luggage tag and keep it in your luggage always. Using those small plastic/paper tags at the airport every trip is just waste. They rip and really only last one trip.
Hotel stay - whether or not you can stay in a green hotel, leave a comment card at the end of your stay highlighting what the hotel did well and what kinds of things they could improve upon. If the hotel does not already have a sign saying that they will, leave a not telling them not to change the sheets or new towels unless they are put on the floor.
Update on our trip -- sadly we had to cancel our trip to Iowa for Labor Day weekend, but instead we are heading up to Duluth to visit Guthrie's family and to fish. When we do visit IA, we will be able to stay with a friend to help keep our carbon footprint down since it was not looking good for mother earth as of the last post.
Have a safe and fun labor day!
Peace!
For the first time Guthrie and I used a GPS. Though not very useful in Minneapolis where 99.9% of the time we know where we are going and it's gridded, taking out much of the guess work, it would have been helpful in Atlanta! On trips, it's quite helpful because it saves buying maps and printing off directions. If you must look up directions (and this is anytime), have the directions sent to your phone or at least write it on a scrap piece of paper and recycle or compost it afterwards.
More on packing light - in cars, 100 pounds of cargo decrease fuel efficiency by 2 percent. It can add up quickly if you travel a lot! If you currently store things in your car -- take it out! You only need the essentials: car emergency kit and some winter clothing items if you drive in Minnesota in the winter months. Those golf clubs? They should be stored in the garage.
If you are gone more than a couple of days, contact the post office and stop the mail. Transporting excess mail that won't be read for a while and can just wait will save the post office on fuel costs.
Keep an eye on your Tachometer (you know, the thing with the RPMs we rarely look at). Keeping the car revving lower than 3,000 rpms will not only save on gas, but is more gentle on the engine, extending the life of your car.
A/C v. Windows? This book says that you improve fuel economy by 20 percent or more if you drive with the A/C on and the windows up, though this is on the highway, which is where you mostly are on road trips. In the city, most of our driving is within an hour of home and not on the highway. Put those windows down says treehugger.com.
One for air travel -- invest in a luggage tag and keep it in your luggage always. Using those small plastic/paper tags at the airport every trip is just waste. They rip and really only last one trip.
Hotel stay - whether or not you can stay in a green hotel, leave a comment card at the end of your stay highlighting what the hotel did well and what kinds of things they could improve upon. If the hotel does not already have a sign saying that they will, leave a not telling them not to change the sheets or new towels unless they are put on the floor.
Update on our trip -- sadly we had to cancel our trip to Iowa for Labor Day weekend, but instead we are heading up to Duluth to visit Guthrie's family and to fish. When we do visit IA, we will be able to stay with a friend to help keep our carbon footprint down since it was not looking good for mother earth as of the last post.
Have a safe and fun labor day!
Peace!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Offset Your Carbon Footprint!
As promised, Guthrie and I gave a donation to offset our carbon footprint for the trip to Austin (awesome! btw) and our upcoming trip to Iowa. Guthrie and I love the Green Institute, as it is local and we donated to them for our wedding. Check it out--it's off the Greenway on Minnehaha and 28th.
Another trip note--stop by the local farmer's market where you are staying. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and fabulous live music on Saturday morning in Austin. :-)
Another trip note--stop by the local farmer's market where you are staying. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and fabulous live music on Saturday morning in Austin. :-)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Garage Sales & Car Rental - Two Unrelated Tips
Just a note - since it is garage sale season, make sure you go and check them out. Guthrie and I needed a little radio/CD player for the kitchen since we can't really hear the news while we're cooking. Stumbled upon one in working order for $2 and I found a wonderful house dress for $5. We also got our garden rake from a garage sale. Though we didn't find the TV antenna and someone else bought the desk chair out from under us, it was fun and a great way to keep things (that you need/want around the house) out of the landfill.
Also, Guthrie and I just had to rent out first car for our anniversary trip to Austin, TX. Though very liberal by Texas standards, they did just get their first train. We got the smallest car we could and are also trying to offset our carbon footprint through this program offered by Enterprise. Here's what they say at Enterprise:
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Also, Guthrie and I just had to rent out first car for our anniversary trip to Austin, TX. Though very liberal by Texas standards, they did just get their first train. We got the smallest car we could and are also trying to offset our carbon footprint through this program offered by Enterprise. Here's what they say at Enterprise:
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Offset
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is pleased to offer you the opportunity to benefit the environment by offsetting greenhouse gas emissions generated by a rental vehicle.
For just $1.25 you can offset emissions produced by the average rental. The money will go to TerraPass to fund certified offset projects that work to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
What's more, we will match these customer contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1 million dollars.
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Peace!
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