I went into the gas station today and asked for two dollars worth of gas..... The clerk passed gas and handed me a receipt.
There are many tips you can use to go green and get more of your moneys worth for every gallon of gas you buy.
Americans drive the largest and biggest gas guzzlers on the planet, yet only 45% of all SUV owners have more than two kids.
That’s a lot of extra space to carry around nothing! These larger vehicles guzzle gas and they are the one of the worst contributors to wasted energy in the US and even in some countries abroad.
Driving an average of just 1000 miles a month produces around 120 tons of carbon dioxide a year. If all the vehicles on US roadways had properly inflated tires, it would save nearly 2 billion gallons of gas a year. At $3.50/gallon, that's $7,000,000,000 (billion) a year!
Most American’s have gotten the message however, and are converting to smaller vehicles or hybrids. They may not be safer on the road, but with the present prices of a barrel of crude oil, which goes up in price daily just about, but they are much more eco friendly than the big rigs.
You can go green on gas to get the most bang for your buck. One tip is to buy gas in the middle of the week, especially on Wednesday. This is when you're likely to find gas at it's lowest price. That’s just one way you can go green on gas and save money!
School buses in the US, which almost all run on diesel fuel, release 3700 tons of soot and 11 million tons of greenhouse gases a year. School bus exhaust is linked to higher rates of asthma and lung cancer.
Americans born in the 1990's will use an average of 1870 barrels of petroleum, which is enough to fuel a Subaru Outback for 822,800 miles. Each gallon of gas used by a vehicle contributes to about 19 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. For a single vehicle driving 1000 miles a month, that adds up to 120 tons of CO2 a year.
Tips to Go Green on Gas
Only buy or fill up your vehicle in the early morning when the ground temperature is cold(est). All service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline is. As gasoline gets warmer it expands, so if you buy gas in the afternoon or in the evening, your gallon is actually less than a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol, and other petroleum products play an important role. A one degree rise in temperature is a big deal. Service stations however, do not have temperature compensation meters at their pumps.
*Although this tip has been dismissed as a myth really, I still think it's a smart idea to get gas when the temperature in your area is cooler. It only makes sense that cooler gas is more condensed than warmer gas.
When you're filling up, don't squeeze the gas pump trigger in the fastest position. The trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. Pump your gas on low speed, which minimizes vapors that are created while you are pumping. All gas hoses have a vapor return. If you pump with the trigger on high speed, some of the gas will become vapors. Those vapors are sucked up and back into the underground storage tank. You'll get less gas for your money when you pump on high speed!
Go ahead and fill up when your gas tank is half full or half empty. The more gas you have in your tank the less air will occupy the empty space. Gasoline evaporates a lot faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. The roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes evaporation. There is no internal floating roof in the gas tank of your vehicle, so evaporation happens quickly.
If you see a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, don't stop! Gasoline gets stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some dirt that normally settles to the bottom. Dirt in your gas tank is never a good thing!
Check your pumps to see if you are getting the right amount! There are documented instances where gas stations are actually charging over what is advertised. (per gallon)
Whichever grade you are using, check the price when you reach 10 gallons in your tank. If the dollar amount is not exactly 10 times the price of the fuel you have chosen, then the pumps are rigged. For example, if your gas is $4.00/gallon, 10 gallons should be $40. It doesn't matter where you pump gas, please check the 10 gallon price. If you find a station that is cheating, contact the Commissioner of the Agriculture Department in your state.
Try hypermiling. Hypermiling is a way of driving your car to get the most mileage out of the gas you have. There are so many methods to use, from using cruise control more often, driving well below speed limits on the highway, driving closely behind big rigs to block the wind, coasting down hills, and so on. Some people say its down right lunacy, others think its smart. What are your opinions? Find out more about hypermiling here at MotherJones.com.
Keep your tires properly inflated and keep your car serviced. Deflated tires waste a lot of extra gas, plus they wear out your tires, which are (btw) made from petroleum! Make those suckers last as long as possible by keeping them inflated properly. You can get your vehicle's PSI (pressure per square inch) by looking in your user manual or by reading the tire pressure on the side of the tire. Also keep your oil changed and have regular maintenance performed on your vehicle. Keeping your engine running smoothly helps you go green and save money on gas!
Try carpooling if you need to save money on gas. It might not be appealing but if you can split the costs and still get to work on time, it'll be worth it.
Reduce the amount of cars you have. Having only one car might be considered a huge inconvenience, but if you can swing it, you'll save energy and money. Many years ago, most families only owned one car. They were able to make do with the resources they had.
Go electric if you can afford it to go green, but be sure it's worth the extra money you'll spend on owning one of these vehicles. Most car loans are for 3 - 6 years. Make sure that the money you'll save on gas is more than the money you'll have to shell out for payments on the car over that period of time. If not, keep driving what you own and try to cut back on the amount you drive.
Remember, gas is gas is gas! Places like Walmart and Hess offer discounted gasoline. If you've ever wondered, the quality's the same. You'll get the same quality of gas from these pumps as you would from any higher priced gasoline supplier.
Don't drive all around town to find the best prices on gas. Its usually not worth the extra time or money! Typically, gas stations on off the main drag offer lower prices than those along the highway. They want your business so they lower the price!
Were you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American products while they're gouging us on oil prices? An appealing remedy for this might be to boycott their gas and stop putting more money into their coffers - just purchase gas from companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis. The following gas companies import Middle Eastern oil and should be no no's:
Amoco - 62,231,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco - 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil - 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway - 117,740,000 barrels
Shell - 205,742,000 barrels
In addition, CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela by Hugo Chavez who hates America (we pay Chavez's regime nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues). The U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per day from OPEC. If you do the math at $100 per barrel, that's over $550 million PER DAY ($200 BILLION per year) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are our confirmed enemies. Oil prices could just continue to go higher if we keep buying their product...let's stop.
These are some large companies that do NOT import Middle Eastern or Venezuelan oil & who we should try to throw our support to: ARCO, BP/Phillips, Conoco, Flying J, Hess, Maverick, Sinclair, Sunoco, Valero.
These are just a few tips you can use to go green and save money on gas! You don't have to run out of gas on the side of the road if you use good common sense and try to cut back driving around in your free time!
Driving an average of just 1000 miles a month produces around 120 tons of carbon dioxide a year. If all the vehicles on US roadways had properly inflated tires, it would save nearly 2 billion gallons of gas a year. At $3.50/gallon, that's $7,000,000,000 (billion) a year!
