Use your car to help reduce your environmental impact

Reducing your impact on the environment is a great goal to set for yourself, and you may be surprised to find it is easier than you think. You don’t have to look any further than your car.

Even if you haven’t invested in a hybrid vehicle, you can still make your car greener with good maintenance and driving habits. Here are a few energy saving car tips:

* Keep the air pressure in your tires at the recommended level. Tires that are poorly inflated – too flat or too full – can reduce your gas mileage by 3 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Your owner’s manual has information on the appropriate inflation level for each of your tires.

* If your car can use it, put ethanol fuel into your gas tank instead of regular gasoline to help save fuel. Ethanol is a blend of gasoline and plant material, tends to be much cheaper compared to gasoline and more and more stations are selling it. Because the plant material typically is a byproduct of corn (a renewable, locally grown resource), ethanol is a cleaner-burning fuel.

* Another green driving tip is: join the driving club and car pool more frequently. Or purchase a bus pass and ride public transportation on a daily basis. Many businesses and cities offer discounts or special lanes for public transportation and multi-passenger vehicles, which mean you probably will be able to get to work much quicker than if you were idling in traffic all by yourself.

* Reduce the need for driving. School districts across the country – especially in rural areas – have discussed and switched over to four-day school weeks to reduce expenditures on transportation. You could discuss with your employer the possibility of extending your workday so you can avoid the rush hour and reduce your work week to fewer days.

Two other gas saving tips to consider include upgrading your car to a hybrid or electric brand, or selling your vehicle and using public transportation. Until you are ready for such big changes, smaller adjustments can still help you reduce your impact on the environment right away.