It is clear that our country is in trouble in terms of our dependency on foreign petroleum. Petroleum imports cost us more than $5.7 billion a week—money that could be well spent on sustainable alternatives made right here in the U.S.
However, what isn’t as clear is that the individual driver can make a significant difference in the effort to mitigate this issue, both by decreasing our dependency on foreign oil and reducing individual carbon footprints.
We know that burning one gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. That means if one driver cuts down fuel use by one tank of gas every month, either by carpooling, walking, riding a bike, or using public transportation, that person alone could prevent 3,360 pounds (for a 14 gallon tank) of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere a year.
If we crunch the numbers, there are about 303,824,640 (July 2008 est.) people in the United States, 57 percent of whom are drivers. That brings us to 173,180,045 drivers. If one out of every five drivers cut down by one tank every month, we could save more than eight million pounds of carbon dioxide gas from entering the atmosphere in one year! (Numbers are based on a 14 gallon tank of gas and are compiled from Car Talk and the CIA.)
In Lansing alone, if one out of every five of the more than 115,500 people who live here use one less tank of fuel every month for an entire year, the city could save nearly 78,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere (numbers based on 2005 population, www.idcide.com.)
What these numbers boil down to, is that every single driver can make a difference, a difference that adds up quickly when we all join the effort.
According to www.fueleconomy.gov, some ways to start saving some fuel, and some money, include:
Drive Sensibly. Speeding, rapid acceleration/breaking and general aggressive driving wastes gas and can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by five percent around town. Driving sensibly can save you five to 33 percent on fuel economy and $0.09-$0.62/gallon on gasoline.
Observe the Speed Limit. While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds higher than 60 mph. It is safe to say that each five mph you drive more than 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas. By observing the speed limit, you not only will be a safer driver, but can save from seven to 23 percent in fuel economy, which translates to $0.13-$0.43/gallon in gasoline savings.
Check and Replace Air Filters Regularly. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine, allowing for savings of up to $0.19/gallon.
Keep Tires Properly Inflated. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every one psi drop in pressure of all fourtires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer, allowing for up to a 3 percent fuel economy benefit, and up to $0.06/gallon.
Consider Alternative Vehicles. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, choosing one that offers better fuel economy will help save you money and reduce emissions.The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $473 per year (assuming 15,000 miles of driving annually and a fuel cost of $1.89). That's $2,363 extra in fuel saving over five years!
While alone, each of these tips yields a small amount of savings per car, it is clear that they add up quickly. Individual drivers and their driving habits will be a large factor in the future of our dependence on foreign petroleum, as well as in reducing our nation’s carbon footprint.
We are all part of a larger community that together can do small things, to change our daily routine, to collectively make a very big difference for ourselves, our region, and entire global community. About 150 million people live in counties where monitored air pollution levels in 2007 reached unhealthy levels, according to www.fueleconomy.com.
Our efforts here can affect positively well beyond our own neighbors and even our own country, but the entire earth.
(Note: All cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $1.89/gallon.)