Fuel Conservation and Transportation Options
One of the biggest issue with going green and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle is fuel consumption. Fuel conservation isn’t easy but there are alternatives to how much fuel your vehicle emits into the environment. If you’re wondering what alternatives there are and if your family or business have transportation options, the following guidelines and tips will be just what you’re looking for. It’s possible to use your own transportation and make decisions in your life that will have a positive impact on the environment and reduce your carbon footprint.
Consider Your Alternatives
Before purchasing a green vehicle or deciding what fuel transportation options are available, think about what alternatives you already have available to you. To start with, you can do more walking and bike-riding. Don’t use your vehicle as often, and you will emit less gas into the ozone layer. If you live in a comfortable and mild climate, riding your bicycle to work or school is a viable option. Not only do you get more exercise and help the environment by not using your car, but you also save money on gas and wear and tear of your vehicle. You can also encourage carpooling and ride sharing in your community as a way to help the environment with green transportation options. When driving, make smart choices such as running all of your week’s errands in one day so you avoid wasted trips throughout the week. When taking an extended vacation, opt for the bus or train instead of driving your car when it isn’t necessary.
Green Vehicles
When it comes time to purchase a new vehicle, opt for a greener vehicle option. There are many vehicles that use less gasoline or none at all. They may cost slightly more than traditional vehicles, but in the long run you save money by not purchasing the very expensive gasoline every few days. Green vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, standard electric vehicles, biodiesel vehicles, and other lesser known varieties. Most car dealerships sell at least one type of green vehicle, whether it is a hybrid, electric car, or both.
Fuel Conservation and Efficiency
If you must use a gasoline-powered vehicle, there are options for you in regards to fuel consumption and fuel efficiency. Avoid using cruise control whenever possible, especially when you are in a mountainous or hilly region. This uses a lot more fuel than when you have your cruise control turned off. Be more efficient with your cars, such as carpooling, ride sharing, using it less often overall, and combining errands as previously stated. If you want to go on a road trip, consider using a smaller car in your household, rather than a gas-guzzling SUV. Avoid unnecessary uses of fuel such as leaving your car running when someone is in the store or turning up the air conditioner when it isn’t necessary.
What is a Hybrid Car
In regards to going green and green transportation specifically, the concept of hybrid cars often come up. As the original green form of transportation, hybrid cars have been around for nearly a decade. If you’re considering what more you can do to live an earth-friendly lifestyle, getting a hybrid car is a great choice. While hybrid cars tend to be more expensive, they use much less fuel which over the lifespan of your car, is going to end up saving you money rather than costing you. And with the current gas prices being a record high, there is no better time to invest in a hybrid car.
What is a Hybrid Vehicle?
A hybrid vehicle, also called a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is one that has both an electric motor and an internal combustion, hence the name “hybrid.” It is generally better for the environment to drive, yet is less expensive and more practical than a traditional electric car which only works when you plug it in and has less driving time in between charges. Hybrid cars are powered by their re-chargeable energy storage system. Power options for hybrid vehicles include coal, wood, or solid combustibles, radio waves, solar, wind, petrol, diesel fuel, hydrogen, pedaling or rowing, liquefied natural gas, and electricity.
Why Do I Want a Hybrid Vehicle?
Hybrid cars are better for the environment, plain and simple. What many people don’t realize is how much gas emissions the gasoline in your vehicle is letting off each time you drive anywhere. And when you do things that consume more fuel such as making frequent stops, leaving the vehicle running while someone else is running into the store, and turning on the air conditioner when you don’t need it, it gets even worse. While you may spend a little more on a hybrid than you would if you bought a non-hybrid car, you will save money in the long run. During the lifetime of your car, you spend thousands of dollars of gas, and the price of gas continues to go up. With your hybrid car, you go a lot longer in between gas visits saving you thousands of dollars during the lifetime of your hybrid vehicle.
Hybrids vs. Electric Powered Cars
You can also get an electric car or a plug-in hybrid vehicle which is also an electric version of the hybrid vehicle. However there are pros and cons to each. Electric cars and plug-in hybrids don’t use any fuel if you don’t want to, while traditional hybrids do use some fuel but less than regular gasoline-powered cars. But you can expect to pay more for an electric powered car and it goes less time in between charges than a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Types of Green Transportation
Going green is more than just a trend, it’s a way of life. Businesses and individuals alike have been discovering all the different ways they can live a cleaner, natural, more eco-friendly lifestyle. The car you drive has just as much impact on the environment as the energy being produced in your home or business. Luckily, there are many different types of green transportation to choose from which will reduce your carbon footprint.
Electric Vehicles
One type of green transportation vehicle is the electric vehicle. If you have ever heard of an electric car you might have been curious about it, but not really known what it was. Electric vehicles will store their electricity in a storage device, usually a battery that is plugged in each night. This is used in place of a fuel tank so that it is not using and emitting fuels during each use. The electricity charged onto the vehicle is what is going to power the vehicle’s electric motor and wheels. It has limited energy capacity, but the energy used to charge it each night is less than a lifetime’s use of fuel.
Natural Gas Vehicles
Vehicles fueled with compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas are called natural gas vehicles. These vehicles tend to emit less harmful emissions during use, as in comparison to gas-fueled vehicles and especially diesel-fueled vehicles. Owners of natural gas vehicles have reported that they last much longer on their natural gas resource than their previous gasoline vehicles did.
Flexible Fuel Vehicle
There are also green vehicles that can operate either on E85 fuel which is ethanol and gasoline, or gasoline alone. This allows for more flexibility so that you can fill it up with fuel on occasion, or fill the vehicle up with E85 when you want to lower your car’s fuel consumption.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
A popular and well known type of green vehicle is the hybrid electric vehicle. These vehicles have a combination of an electric-charged battery and a typical internal combustion engine. This allows for more flexibility as works like an electric vehicle, but doesn’t need to be plugged in for operating power. Two different energy sources power hybrid electric vehicles; an internal combustion engine or fuel cell and the engine storage device, usually a battery. The power unit in hybrid electric vehicles is a great form of transportation when being environmentally conscious is important to you.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Lastly is a hybrid electric vehicle that can be plugged in. These combine the advantages of having a hybrid electric vehicle and an electric vehicle. They are similar to electric vehicles in that to be powered they can get plugged in, but are similar to the hybrid electric vehicles because the type of engine in the vehicle offers greater driving distances with less battery re-charging to power the vehicle.
Non-Fuel Green Transportation
Trying to decide which car to get when you’re in need of a new one can be difficult, but especially so when you also want green transportation. Going green can be done in more than your home or business; your vehicle also has a large impact on the environment. Many types of green transportation are available including carpooling, taking public transportation, and even walking or riding your bike. But if you want your own car, it’s time to think outside the box. Luckily, there are several non-fuel options that allow for naturally green driving.
Electric Cars
The first type of non-fuel car is of course the electric car. One of the earliest green vehicle concepts is the electric car which is powered by the internal battery that you must charge with an external power source, such as a garage with a plug-in outlet. This vehicle never uses any type of fuel to be powered, so that you aren’t emitting any gasoline into the atmosphere when it is driven. There are pros and cons of the electric car, specifically the fact that it is more expensive than other vehicles and can only be powered after it has been plugged in. However, you never have to worry about gas prices again!
Hybrid
Next are the hybrid vehicles which come in plug-in and non plug-in varieties. Hybrids are readily available at most major car manufacturers and car makers, giving you a wider selection than what you can get in electric cars. The Toyota Prius is one of the more well-known hybrid vehicles, but not the only one. Of course plug-in hybrid electric vehicles must be plugged in just like an electric car, but they also include a combustion engine allowing for more driving time in between charges. There are also hybrid vehicles that don’t use regular fuel but also don’t need to be plugged in, which is a great choice for many consumers.
Biodiesel
Another type of non-fuel consumption vehicle is the biodiesel vehicle. Biodiesel is often used by celebrities which is probably where you have heard it from Biodiesel is also known as vegetable fuel and can power vehicles with vegetable oils rather than gasoline which is very harsh on the environment. Biodiesel vehicles are considered to be green and better for the environment as this type of fuel is natural.
There are other types of non-fuel consumption green vehicles as well, but these are the most common and widely available. They give you the chance to avoid gasoline-powered vehicles and be more environmentally conscious while reducing your carbon footprint. With the trend of going green, green transportation is one thing people should consider just as much as recycling, reducing and reusing.
What is Biofuel
Do you know what kind of gas goes into your car? If you don’t know much about fuel, you probably aren’t familiar with biofuel and its impact on the environment. We live in an age of reusable grocery bags, recycling, and energy efficient products, but fuel consumption tends to be far from our minds. However it can be worth it to learn more about biofuels, where they come from, and how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions going into the planet.
So What is Biofuel?
Biofuel is a type of fuel that gets its energy from carbon fixation. This type of fuel sounds a bit scary and like it is worse for the environment, but on the contrary. Biofuel engines are actually better for the environment as it is considered a cleaner solution and alternative form of energy. The need for these alternative powered vehicles is especially true nowadays with gas prices continuing to go up. Some common forms of biofuel include vegetable oil, corn oil, cellulose oil, and sugar cane oil. If you have heard the stories from people who live a natural, green lifestyle and have a vehicle running on vegetable oil; they’re not joking. It is very possible and it is a cleaner way to drive.
Types of Biofuel
There are different types of biofuel energy sources, coming from liquid, solid, and gas. Biodiesel fuel is actually another name of a gaseous or liquid biofuel, while solid biofuel is made from sawdust, wood chips or other agricultural wastes which is why it is considered a solid fuel source. The liquid version of biofuel is definitely the most common and widely used. The newer vehicles using and producing biofuel intends to use liquids such as those coming from crops, algae, and cellulose.
Benefits of Biofuel
There are many benefits of biofuel and if you care about the environment, they’re all pretty obvious. Your carbon footprint is increased when you use gasoline-powered vehicles, but electric and hybrid vehicles are also expensive. This is where the concept of biofuel vehicles have come to pass. Aside from being a cleaner way of driving, biofuel vehicles are a much better alternative than traditional diesel engines that use conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel provides these vehicles with less residue and better lubrication when the fuel is being burned. It is also safer and biodegradable. Lastly, biofuel is less expensive by far than vehicles running on gasoline. Every time you go to the gas station, it seems like prices have skyrocketed. With some states charging more than $4.00 per gallon of gas, the longer commuting drivers are spending literally hundreds of dollars each month just on gas alone.
Rural Green Transportation Options
Finding transportation when you don’t own a vehicle and live in a rural area can be difficult enough, but what do you do when being green is an issue? Many rural areas have very limited transportation options, including a lack of public transportation and green initiatives. This leaves much to be desired, especially when you consider that a lot of vehicles in rural areas tend to be large trucks and other vehicles that emit a lot of fuel into the atmosphere. If you want to live a greener lifestyle, it starts with your transportation. The following tips will help you to find rural green transportation options.
Public Transportation
The first thing you should do when looking for green transportation in rural areas is to find out if public transportation is available in your area. This will help you to determine what other actions need to take place to find transportation options. While buses and trains do use a lot of fuel and energy to run, there are more than a dozen people riding during each trip which severely decreases your carbon footprint. The bus or train is going to run anyway, so the more people hopping on to take a ride and not driving their own person vehicle, the better it is for the environment.
Hybrid or Green Vehicles
If you want to purchase your own green vehicle, start with one that is a hybrid car. Hybrids are better for the environment due to the low energy and low gas emissions. Not to mention you are going a long time between gas tank fill-ups which is also going to save you money in the long run. Another green vehicle option is an electric vehicle. While it will use energy plugging it in each night, it is actually better for the environment than the fuel consumption of just getting to and from work each day. These options are expensive when you first purchase the vehicle, but you will save money in the long run.
Carpooling
Next is carpooling. If you work at a company where other employees live in the same area, carpooling is a great option. Setting up a carpooling schedule at work is easy to do with a simple sign-up sheet. About 3-5 people per vehicle is average, where each person drives their own vehicle to and from work about one day a week. This means instead of five cars driving to the same place every day, only one car is going there, helping to save the planet every mile of the trip.
Ride Sharing or Car Sharing
Lastly, you can get involved in car sharing or ride sharing. Ride sharing is similar to carpooling except it is used for more trips than to work and back. You can ride share with friends, neighbors or family members to the grocery store, shopping mall, park, or recreational activities. Car sharing is similar but multiple people are sharing the same vehicle, rather than each person owning your own vehicle. By car sharing, the vehicle is used by multiple people instead of multiple cars being on the road and consuming fuel during each trip.