We’ve talked about ways to reduce your carbon emissions, like walking or biking instead of driving and bringing a bag lunch to work instead of going out for take-out. But there are ways to be more fuel efficient when you drive. For instance, drive at steady pace- rapid accelerations can waste gas. Aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by as much as 33% at highway speeds and as much as 5% in town.
Not only is aggressive driving bad for your fuel economy, but it’s not particularly safe either. Use that cruise control on the highway- this ensures a constant speed and can improve fuel economy. Observe the speed limit- gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour. And remember to walk into a restaurant rather than use the drive through- unless you drive a hybrid, idling next to a drive through window for more than 30 seconds wastes more gas than turning off then restarting your car.