What Can You Do Right Now?

Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.

 

Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)

 

Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)

 

Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.

 

Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.

 

Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

 

More Tips »

 

Tips on the Road

07/28/2008

8 ways to green your camping trip

Summer camp is not just for kids. With warm weather, longer days and TV reruns, a camping trip may be on your summer agenda. Here are eight ways to enjoy the environment while also maintaining it.

* 07/24/2008

Campground restrooms becoming ecologically correct
When nature calls, campers at Michigan's Grand Haven State Park can now go "green" at a new, environmentally friendly toilet-shower building that is the first of its kind in the state park system.

* Green vehicles save Houston big bucks
The City of Houston's fleet of hybrid vehicles is paying off twofold with lower fuel costs as well as cleaner air. Forty percent of the city’s non-emergency vehicles are either Toyota Priuses or Ford Escapes.

07/21/2008

San Antonio district debuts propane buses
The Northside Independent School District showed off 16 classic yellow Blue Bird propane school buses Monday morning, saying the vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run than traditional diesel buses.

07/18/2008

Toyota works on greener paint process
The multistep paint job, which includes pretreatment, several coatings, drying and sealing, takes up 24 percent of energy use in manufacturing, according to Toyota.

* 07/17/2008

Automakers offer hybrids for NYC taxi fleet
Three major auto manufacturers are promising to reserve 300 new hybrid vehicles each month exclusively for the city as it replaces its entire fleet of yellow cabs.

* 07/16/2008

Truckers hope green options save green in wallet
So-called "electrified truck stops" have drawn interest from some truckers in part to reduce pollution and engine grind from idling and abide by a growing number of anti-idling guidelines nationwide.

* 07/15/2008

E-bikes help commuters save big on gas
A growing number of Houston commuters are swapping their cars for electronic bikes. E-bikes are battery powered and can be plugged into any household outlet.

07/08/2008

8 ways to green your road trip
Looking for a summer trip before school starts again and weather gets less than desirable? The following tips will focus on making your actual road trip as environmentally-friendly as possible.

* Hypermilers driven to maximize gas mileage
Hypermilers cite several reasons for maximizing mileage, including protecting the environment, saving money, having fun while driving, and even decreasing American dependence on foreign oil.

* Carbon-offset programs let travelers contribute
In recent years, dozens of companies have emerged to help offset the effect of carbon emissions by planting trees, funding conservation measures at power plants, or paying for alternative energy production such as wind power.

07/04/2008

Save your car and the planet by driving right
Cruising through town in a sleek $25,000 hybrid vehicle would make almost anyone look and feel good, but that’s not a reasonable option for all individuals and families. However, there are dozens of simple ways to reduce the environmental impact of your driving and save money at the gas pump.

* Senator proposes lower national speed limit
An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.

* 07/03/2008

How cheap is it to drive green?
Going green with a hybrid vehicle that gets 40 to 50 miles per gallon may sound great. But after you factor in the cost of the car, maintenance and insurance, are hybrids really saving you money?

* 06/30/2008

'It's hybrid hysteria' for buyers seeking the hard-to-find Prius
With fuel prices hovering around $4 a gallon, scores of people are snatching up every Prius they can find and driving up prices at some area Toyota dealerships by as much as $5,000 over window sticker.

* 06/23/2008

McCain offers $300 million for new auto battery
The presumed Republican nominee on Monday proposed a $300 million government prize to whoever can develop an automobile battery that far surpasses existing technology.

* 06/16/2008

List of most fuel-efficient cars released
Consumer Reports has just come out with a listing of the best fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. It's based on the price paid divided by overall miles per gallon.

* 06/02/2008

Detractors say anti-pollution bill before Senate could lead to $8 gas
Legislation requiring a reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants, refineries, factories and transportation is set for debate in the Senate starting Monday.

* 05/28/2008

Ethanol fuel may be harming your vehicle
It is bad enough that gasoline is hovering around $4 a gallon, but the ethanol blend of gas pumped into many cars - containing up to 10 percent of ethanol - is also causing problems.

* 05/21/2008

Hydrogen generator that increases gas mileage being tested in S.A.
What if there was a way to cut gas expenses by as much as 50 percent by doing something as simple as turning on your kitchen faucet?

* 05/20/2008

Turn right, save gas
UPS trucks are everywhere, racking up thousands of miles every year — and burning thousands of gallons of fuel, too. What is their gas-saving strategy? It's a simple turn of the wheel.

05/06/2008

General Motors CEO touts affordable electric cars
General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Richard Wagoner says global warming is not going to be solved with $100,000 electric cars, and his company is focusing on a vehicle more consumers can afford.

* 04/30/2008

Tourism industry struggles to shrink environmental footprint
Citing green hotels, coconut oil fuel for airlines and even recyclable golf tees, executives in one of the world's largest industries say they are urgently trying to shrink tourism's oversized environmental footprint.

* 04/22/2008

Texas campaign gives away tips on clean-air and a hybrid SUV
A statewide campaign called for motorists to reduce air pollution and save money on gas - and it also is giving a chance to win a new car.

* Government fuel economy plan targets 31.6 mpg by 2015
Transportation Department Secretary Mary Peters outlined the plan on Earth Day, setting a schedule that was more aggressive than initially expected by industry officials.

* 04/21/2008

U.S. hybrid sales up 38 percent in 2007
Hybrids made up just 2.2 percent of the U.S. market share for the year, but they were growing steadily even as overall sales declined 3 percent.

04/15/2008

Planning green travel
More than half of U.S. travelers booking reservations online are concerned about global warming, and about a fifth feel that travel is bad for the environment, according to a recent online survey by Travelzoo Inc.

* 04/11/2008

Is this the car of the future?
With gas prices well above $3 a gallon, some drivers may be hoping for a car that can go on more than 150 miles per gallon. Such a car could one day be parked in your garage.

* 04/03/2008

Stay green in style at these eco-savvy lodgings
Hotels are now doing the water-saving themselves: installing low-flow fixtures, recycling gray water in landscaping, even solar-heating your shower.

03/26/2008

Consumer Reports Releases Most Environmentally Friendly Car Brands
The results of Consumer Reports’ latest car brand perception survey are in, featuring a whole section on green cars. While eco-friendliness is only the fifth most important feature to consumers, Toyota scored well with almost half of consumers associating it with being a green brand.

Actions you can take on the road
Actions you can take on the road

EPA-DOE Release Fuel Economy Lists for 2008 Models
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released the 2008 Fuel Economy Guide to help consumers make well-informed choices when purchasing new vehicles.

Don't Pollute - Telecommute!
Working from home lowers gas consumption, which preserves natural resources, reduces polluting emissions such as carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, and lessens polluting road 'run off.' (And think of the money and stress that's saved!)

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