You’ll find it in your fuel budget!
☺When you pump, look down. About half of those stains are from spilled, dripped, dropped or overflowed gasoline. Be more careful at the pump to get the gas in the tank; not on the ground.
☺Another great read internet search Peak Oil from any search engine and choose the .org one…..”"Big deal. If gas prices get high, I’ll just drive less. Why should I give a damn?"
Because petrochemicals are key components to much more than just the gas in your car. As of the year 2002, approximately 10 calories of fossil fuels are required to produce every 1 calorie of food eaten in the US. Source The size of this ratio stems from the fact that every step of modern food production is fossil fuel and petrochemical powered: Pesticides and agro-chemicals are made from oil;
Commercial fertilizers are made from ammonia, which is made from natural gas, which is also peaking in the near future. Source
Most farming implements such as tractors and trailers are constructed and powered using oil-derived fuels.” End conclusion you should take away: grow a garden! And trees.
Not sci-fi, conjecture, projecture…just plain facts, folks!
☺Watch the movie –FUEL Cinema Libra Studio Blue Water Entertainment by Hero BX Johnny O’Hara and Josh Tickell … if this doesn’t open your eyes, either nothing will or your brain is not comprehending much….or you’ve made a conscious choice to waste your money-me? I’d rather keep mine for me. Look for it in your local library.
☺Slow Moving Vehicles, drivers hauling towing anything…hey, pull over! Let the traffic pass you. If you go 5-10MPH, to be careful for your load, be considerate to the 30-40 cars behind you. We all pay same for gas. Let them pass you instead of making them take 40 minutes to go 10 miles. PS-In some places you can be ticketed for NOT doing this.
☺If you have cruise use it on distance travelling to maintain a constant speed in the engine.
☺Pay cash. Not debit, not credit cold hard cash. Some stations even give cents off per gallon for cash
☺Home, unplug everything, but fridge stove, water heater and plug in as go; use power strips and unplug those also. Don’t charge cell phone overnight. It‘s overcharging..it only needs 1-3 hours. Use CFC bulbs-the dollar stores even sell them cheaper.
☺Remember a hose is just like a straw IT ACHIEVES it’s own level, how can this work for me? What happens before/after I pump? Should I fill up or get few gallons at a time?
☺ Don’t buy fuel if you DON’T need it, just because it dropped a cent or two. If it’s dropping, more than likely in 2/3 more days it will be cheaper. Remember consume all you have, gas does gum up. Keep your car in decent working order, oil change, tires, fluids, etc etc.
☺ When waiting on a pace car in construction zones or stopped in zones, turn your car off. They have those flaggers for a reason, why idle? Your not getting thru any faster even if you ram the car in front of you! And then your really not. Treat work vehicle the same, don’t take the approach, I’m not paying for the gas so who cares? Oh but you are. You pay with higher prices at pump, on your electric, AND that’s your next raise your wasting. Construction & OTR trucks that idle, don’t. I watched a dozer cut and load a side dump truck at site. Took over 30 minutes (I know that because that’s how long it took me to walk past) 30 minutes. The dump truck ran the whole time, with no driver!!!! WHY? And cut warm up times! If you do ½ hour do 15 minutes
☺Skip the plastic bags at the stores, they are made from oil. Taking about 37 million barrels per year! Use cloth or canvas. If you have no choice reuse them all you can. Recycle. FYI-July 4th weekend, I got told by a Wally World cashier that the goal is by 2012, they are going to be charging for those plastic bags, make the switch now!
☺Merge driving, watch for the city bus up ahead; don’t get stuck behind it, even worse (I actually saw this) 4 cars stuck in 4 lane intersection-light changed in rush hour traffic…no one in all four directions could move because of those four cars behind the bus for two light changes. The backup was more than 200 cars. Wow.
☺ Rural mail delivery, why not park & walk those 20-40 boxes rather than idle inch by inch? When was the last time you saw a UPS truck running during a delivery? I never have. I think maybe they have figured out that the idling costs big time money. And there’s the theft issue. Me? I wish it was legal to relocate anyone’s car who does this, just to teach them a lesson. Why do taxis sit idling when waiting on a fare? At hotels in tourist destinations? At airports? Why don’t the cab companies clamp down on this? It’s income out the door! Rental Cars? Turn key off as they inspect for prior damage and show you features. This takes up to 10 minutes, why waste the gas? Why aren’t parking security guards on bikes, golf carts, ATV. They go just as fast thru a lot and places a car cannot and take less fuel? Not to mention cost of vehicle, insurance, plates, and driver. Why do armor trucks idle at pickups? Yet, the delivery companies don’t!!?
☺Buy local .. anything & everything you can meat market, produce, bakery, save fuel bringing things to you. The only people who should not are shut ins. We utilize that ship to me, that it is not a convenience anymore. IT’S killing us at the gas pump. And take a second to read labels, buy American. Best example: White Rain Shampoo/Condition made in USA…VO5 made in Canada ..you paid for freight to truck it here, & sent your purchase dollar out of country
☺ Highway driving …find a semi going slightly faster than you and stay behind 100-200 yards or so…his tailwind sucks you along saving you gas, & he has CB for speed traps. Win win situation. Remember if you can’t see his mirrors … he can’t see you; don’t tailgate. Turn overnight parked Semis, cars, and trucks off at truckstop/rest areas. School buses shut off AT school delivery AM & pickup PM, while loading unloading. Not only safer, cheaper.
☺Keep a copy in your car. And watch when you are doing and others, highlight or check off, look at after three days. Then go OMG! Great kids busy project.
☺Read up, and learn about CAFE standards… do you know cars only have to conform to standards from 1980’s yet our technology has exceeded? Why? Good reads A Declaration of Energy Independence by Jay Hakes;Energy Victory by Robert Zubrin. Use internet for cheapest fuel… don’t then go there get in line and idle wasting 1/8 tank to get ¾. Did you see the new GM Chevy Volt? 232 MPG! Why aren’t they all being made that way? Why aren’t we demanding it? On all cars?
☺Concerts/plays/venues/fairs…take a bus to just to save, but if you drive … don’t sit in lot before & after with car on listening to radio AND after take your time 1) leaving the site just to get to your car and 2) in lot wait for traffic to clear. Or partying in your car with it on … at least turn it off.
☺ Are you aware there are cars that are now being made when there is a 3 second stop, the engine is designed to shut down, to consume fuel. Why not all cars? And if they’re making cars this way … that are smarter than us; hmmm… what are we doing wrong? What does that tell you? Why haven’t you sent the auto mfr an email telling them? After all they just got bailed out with YOUR money.
☺ It may not sound like it belongs here, but it does. Don’t litter. The litter that is on the highway’s is picked up two ways, either employees or volunteers DRIVE out there and bag up, leave at roadside then trash crew comes behind and cleans bags. Your litter creates two additional vehicles on the road to clean up. And they need fuel to get there, that if you were not littering would not be happening, every drop drives up the cost and demand. Guess who pays for that fuel? You do, in taxes. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Trash cans are literally everywhere. Gas stations, stores, malls, your house, parks, etc…throw it in a trash can at your next stop.
☺Is there any value to a toll road? What is it? To go 80-90MPH?...do you need to get there faster? Will 15 minutes make that much difference? ONLY, when you crash on toll road, and then ..to get an EMS to you.
☺ Don’t take spouse/kids/friends anywhere to drop off like mall, library, grocery, store, etc then sit in the parking lot with car on. And don’t circle the lot, Park. Someone said leave copies at pump…altho email also, it’s faster & always there. Turn car off when waiting on a funeral procession, rural mail delivery that gets out of car, loading/unloading. I think places that service autos, ie insurance co, dealers, parts warehouse, etc. should keep a copy on their counters. Waiting AT the bus stop on kids? Turn the car off. If you do this 5 times (we know it’s 10) times a week for even 2 minutes a pop … you wasted gas for 20 minutes ONE WEEK. Reality is about an hour a week.
☺Go right on red all the time, don’t hold up traffic. It is also legal to go LEFT on RED, from a one way street to another one way street with traffic that you merge LEFT into. Mostly in downtown areas.
☺ Please pull forward at pumps avoids others having driving around, and not just at pumps-anywhere. They even post this on the pumps. Drive the lights to avoid brake slow down stopped traffic. Do you realize when you stop to drop off you MAKE all cars behind you stop also? Park. Allow other drivers out in traffic, keeps them going & not just sitting there idling. Look before you start the car anywhere, if your in a parking lot & cars & people are behind you, c’mon you know you’re not going it clears, why idle?
☺Recognize when you are wasting gas, every person's needs are different.
☺ Combine all trips is good, combine all trips with neighbors, friends, relatives is better, and look for stores like Home Depot and Wally World that ad match. One stop shopping. When going out for lunch, ask coworkers if they want anything from where your going-eliminates multiple trips.
☺ Avoid all drive thru’s of any kind…fast food, bank, ATM, pharmacy, even !funeral homes! , etc…park and walk it..consider it exercise, it gets you out of the 4/5/6 deep car idling line. Using the ATM takes about 3-5 minutes- why is your car on? Use the walkup ATM. Waiting on a train? Turn the engine off. Your stuck 5/10 minutes anyway.
☺Forward this to your email contacts, make a bigger impact, use copy and paste; links expire.
☺ Keep prospective and look at prices across the country especially if your planning road trips. Report pumps that are incorrect to department of weights and measures. Best way to test a pump, run one gallon, did it read the posted price? Limit teen drivers cruising. If they go every Friday, make it every other Friday. Choose alternate transportation with less or no fuel … especially for short trips. Even make it your goal say IF it’s 4 blocks, you’ll always avoid driving it. And make it a goal to do this once a week for normal driving use. Don’t mow your lawn if you have grazing animals, let them eat the grass down, and if they go thru your lawn, neighbors??
Now you know what to do … forward…and use copy paste, links expire. Make a bigger impact. Or get ready for gas at the $4 mark.
