•
Use These Simple Tips on How to Save on Gas with Eco Driving Techniques
The price of gas is always a hot topic, or sore one, depending on how you look at it. To save on gas, improve fuel economy, and reduce the CO2 emmisions from your car, you can perform these simple tips we’ve found at Eco Driving USA. You’ll notice that Eco Driving doesn’t require any major changes in your driving behavior; it’s about small changes that add up. Here are a few of my favs, but you can check out the entire list by following the Eco Driving link.
- Avoid rapid starts and stops: “Rapid starts and stops, often called ‘jack rabbit’ starts and stops, use fuel and costs money at the gas pump. Gentle acceleration and braking can save more than $1 per gallon, according to the U.S. EPA, because smart driving can improve fuel economy by up to 33%. A few seconds of high-powered driving can use as much gas as driving for several minutes at more measured speeds. Ease into accelerations and brake smoothly, especially around corners, to raise your mileage the most. Avoid tailgating. When Eco Drivers™ avoid rapid starts and stops, they are not only practicing safe driving habits, but they’re also reducing the energy required to get the vehicle moving again.”
- Ride the Green Wave: “Traffic lights are often synchronized so that a motorist driving at a specific speed will pass through a series of green lights without stopping. Driving more quickly means you arrive sooner at a light and need to stop. Engineers optimize the traffic light timing to reduce congestion and improve traffic slowly. A steady speed often can help drivers avoid red lights, therefore keeping the car moving more efficiently.”
- Use Cruise Control: “During highway driving, cruise control helps maintain a steady speed. According to a test conducted by Edmunds.com, cruise control can provide a 7% average fuel savings, compared to driving without the device operating. These benefits come largely from driving on flat terrains, according to Edmunds. Cruise control maintains a constant vehicle speed. If you are driving on hilly roads, cruise control may cause your engine to speed up on climbing hills and slow down on the other side, reducing mileage, so use cruise control selectively. Using cruise control on 10,000 of the miles driven in a year could save you nearly $200 and save more than 60 gallons of fuel, according to the Department of Transportation (assuming $3 a gallon for fuel, 20 MPG, and 15,000 miles driven annually).”
- Obey Your Check Engine Light: “Today’s automobiles have sophisticated onboard diagnostics (OBD) systems that continually monitor the operation of your vehicle. When the OBD alert light comes on, there is the possibility that your emissions are increased and your fuel economy is going down. An example would be if the oxygen sensor has failed and the engine controller goes to a default setting – increasing fuel consumption. Replacing a faulty oxygen sensor could result in a fuel economy improvement of as much as 40%. When the OBD light goes on, see your auto dealer for more information.”
The site also has a nifty carbon footprint calculator you can use. Soon, you’ll be on your way to reduced fuel use, reduce CO2 emissions, and more money in your pocket rather than in your tank.
•
Bamboo suits aren’t the only Eco-friendly suits around
I found a company that makes recycled business suits! It’s called Bagir and it’s located in the U.K. They make three suits that are good for the world:
- EcoGir Recycled: These suits are made from 100% recycled PET bottles. These suits are great because they assist in the fight to keep out landfills free of old PET bottles.
- EcoGir Washable: These suits are so cool that you can throw them in your own washing machine. Machine washing suits assists in your fight to reduce the amount of water you use, and the amount of CO2 that you emit.
- EcoGir Organic: These suit jackets are made from 100% organic cotton. The cotton was grown without harmful chemicals or pesticides.
I’ve been thinking that I need to buy some new suits lately. I’m going to start looking for them at some local stores here in Detroit. The bagir website says that their suits can be bought at JCPenny, Casual Male Big and Tall, Brooks Brothers, The Limited, and Express. I guess I’ll start looking at these stores.
•
Gufflify Your Lawn Work: Buy a Battery Powered Lawnmower
There’s few outdoor activities that I don’t enjoy. However, for some reason mowing the lawn is like torture for me. Maybe I don’t like it because it’s tiring yet it’s not quite a real workout. Despite my ill feelings for mowing, I had to do my dad a favor this weekend and mow the lawn for the last time this season. So as I’m mowing with the loud, gas guzzling mower, I’m thinking there must be a greener, Gufflier way. And of course there is. Several mowers in the marketplace are battery powered rather than using gasoline. This means less emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. This also means no risk of polluting by use of sloppy gas cans. For more info on why battery powered mowers are a better choice, check out this brief Consumer Reports article.
There are some great reviews of various greener mowers on
huddler.com. The number 1 ranked mower is the
Neuton 6.2. This mower is ranked number one because it gives the full performance of a gas mower but with the convenience of the battery technology. The Neuton is ideal for lawns up to 1/3 acre, because it can get the job done in a single charge (which is typically one hour of run time). The mower itself is made of 95% recyclable materials. The mower can be purchased on the Neuton site for $450 and about $45 for shipping costs.
•
Plush dog toys are good; but organic plush toys are Guffly
If my dog Bamboo had money he would buy a Simply Fido toy. He has destroyed all of the squeaky toys that were in his collection, and all he has left to play with is a couple of balls. If he could talk I’d bet that he would tell me that he needs a little more variety in his life.
Simply Fido toys are made from organic cotton and dyes, and could be the variety that Bamboo needs. The toys are great for him. They’re made of organically grown fibers that are unbleached, untreated, and unprocessed; so I know there aren’t any toxins to hurt bamboo. Aside from being safe for him, the toys are unique and look like a lot of fun. I could see Bamboo running around the house with one of those toys clinched between his teeth. Kind of like the picture below
Simply Fido Toys can be purchased at Only Natural Pet Store. Since it doesn’t seem like Bamboo is getting a job anytime soon, I guess it means that I have to buy him one. If I know him the way that I think I do, my guess is that he wants me to get him Lucy the Rabbit from the Plush Collection.
