by J.L. Eck

Created on: December 25, 2009

As the average price of fuel in general rises, the cost of global warming rises, and economies fall, people worldwide are looking for new ways to reduce cost and reduce the size of their carbon footprint.  It is often possible for someone to drastically reduce the impact of their carbon footprint by making a simple, but possibly expensive and upsetting decision:  Get a different vehicle for commuting. 

The realization of safety and power over fuel efficiency has been the priority of many vehicle owners and still is today.  Considering the price of a tank of fuel it seems ludicrous to commute in a large, fuel guzzling vehicle yet many still do.  This trend is costly for the demand price of fuel and for our Mother Earth.  If 20 million drivers over the world were to switch from their inefficient, outdated vehicle to the most efficient, most advanced hybrid there would be a drastic change in the amount of carbon emissions from automobile pollution.  Likely an impossibility, the next best thing would be for everyone to use green driving tips to help reduce their individual carbon footprint. 

Tip1:  Tire pressure can make a big difference.  Proper tire pressure helps to achieve optimum fuel mileage and performance for your vehicle.

Tip 2:  Give your pride and joy a tune up and be rewarded with better fuel mileage still.  A good set of high performance spark plugs and wires can achieve an improvement in fuel mileage.  Sometimes, the auto manufacturers do not produce the best quality parts for your vehicle.  A change to some after-market platinum spark plugs may be worth the investment.

Tip 3:  Keep your foot out of it!  One who is a "leadfoot"  burns far more fuel while driving the same distance as one who takes off gradually and keeps the vehicle a few miles and hour under the speed limit.  There are people out there that take fuel mileage very seriously...They are called hyper-milers.  If you want to get the most out of a gallon of gas you could join a group dedicated to the subject of hyper miling and learn of few things for sure.  Beware though, the habits of the hyper-miler can be often dangerous.

Tip 4:  Performance modifications such as changing the computer or bolt-on additions can increase fuel mileage as well.  Getting to know one of the gearheads at your local parts and performance store can be invaluable to learning a few tricks involving fuel mileage. 

There are surely more ways use green driving techniques, but the list above taken into consideration can quickly make you a much more green driver quickly and with generally reasonable expense.  Just remember:  A well maintained vehicle is more efficient than one which is not.

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