Part 13 (1/2)

Green Means Green

By noe all know the ”inconvenient truth”-the Earth's environered But here's a convenient truth: You can help Mother Earth while savingsoing green hborhood and in your wallet It's a realization corporate A up to Such terms as sustainability and carbon footprint have entered the boardroom lexicon

For consu an environmental effort will cost you money or convenience That can be true in some cases But today, there are reen

This chapter gives just a few examples of the easiest and most hile steps to take

Gasoline

No other price fires up Aasoline prices Maybe it's because we have no control over prices and feel helpless Maybe it's because it's a necessary expense, especially in suburban and rural areas Or e numbers at every commercial traffic intersection

Whatever the reason, you can probably spend less on gas That not only puts more money back in your pocket but helps the environn oil

Gasoline, 1-2-3

1 Don't spill the coffee

2 Take it slow and steady

3 Puas centers on two main areas: What you drive and how you drive

Let's start hat you drive

Many people think they can fix their gas-spending probleuzzler for a new fuel-efficient car That's often false The reason? Hidden costs

We won't get into all the math here, but depreciation of a new vehicle and the cost of financing that vehicle often far surpasses any gasoline savings you'll reap So, unless you're accounting for those hidden costs, you can't accurately assess the value of swapping vehicles

Other hidden costs include higher insurance rates for a newer car and sales tax that you'll have to pay if you live in a state that levies sales tax Let's look at sales tax alone At 6 percent, you'll pay 1,500 in sales tax to buy a 25,000 vehicle 1,500 buys a lot of gas for your gas-guzzler

Now, if you were going to replace your current vehicle anyway, it makes sense to buy a fuel-efficient one Of course, the best idea is to buy a late-model used car, which allows someone else to take the tremendous first-year depreciation hit of a new car

So, for saving asoline, that leaves us with how you drive

1 Don't Spill the Coffee

While driving, iine you have a cup of coffee, uncovered, in your cup holder You don't want that coffee to slosh out of the cup and onto you or the car floor So, what do you do? You try to drive as s, and gradual braking If you're accustoressive with the accelerator and brake pedals, this tip will ias dollars go further

When autos tips saved thewas the nu habits with slower acceleration and braking saved up to 37 percent on gas, with the average savings at 31 percent Could you iasoline? If you nors of 858 a year Two cars? That's , and braking extend the life of the engine, trans even more money

2 Take It Slow and Steady

Here's another visualization that ine that as you press down on the accelerator pedal, money leaks from your wallet The harder you press, the as station when you begin fueling up your vehicle: The tighter you squeeze the trigger of the fuel pump, the faster the price-readout advances

The point is to drive slower

Consuhway cruising speed from 55 allon to 35 Speeding up to 75One reason, Consu increases exponentially the faster you drive It sih the air