Image by Chuck Coker / Creative Commons

About a week and a half ago, I saw this article about how gas prices were headed to $4 a gallon by Memorial Day. At the time, the price of gas near my house was hovering right around $3.80. Now, less than two weeks later one gas station in downtown Los Angeles is already selling gas for $5.09 a gallon.

Now, I have to admit, this particular gas station appears to be on its own in terms of the astronomical pricing, however even prices out by me have risen at least $.35 in less than two weeks. In fact, the typically lower-priced gas stations like Costco, Sam’s Club and ARCO are selling for $4.05+. There is one lone hold out I found near downtown LA who was still selling for under $4 a gallon, but I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case for long.

The question then becomes…how can you ease the pain at the pump? Well, here are a few tips that while they won’t necessarily take away the pain, they could help to ease the pain a bit.

1) Check out public transportation options in your area. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out; if you can drive less you will pay less for gas.

Image by David Villa / Creative Commons

Check out bus lines, rail lines, carpooling options as well as ride-share options. You may be surprised to find what your area has to offer when you look.

2) Plan ahead. Do not let yourself run out of gas. People often pay more at the pump when they are in a bind and need to fill up at the last minute. When you plan ahead you can use a tool like gasbuddy.com to find the gas station near you with the least expensive gas and then go there to fill up.

3) Pull out that GPS. When you need to get to a particular destination, especially if you have never been there before, use your GPS or map it out ahead of time. This is another way planning can really help you save both time and money.

Image by Michael Sheehan / Creative Commons

4) For those who want to ease their gas pump pain, while improving their fuel economy and lowering their vehicle emissions all at the same time, check out Biofriendly Corporation’s Green Plus® liquid catalyst.

5) Make at least one day a week a truly car-free day. Walk, ride your bike, put on those rollerblades you haven’t seen in years, or choose any option other than driving in a car.

Image by Jason V / Creative Commons

Remember, there is no need to wait until September for the official “World Carfree Day” celebration, because as World Car Free Days Collaborative says:

“Every day is a great day to take a few cars off the street…”

6) Change up your driving habits by driving a little more efficiently. Removing excess weight from your car, using your cruise control and avoiding excessive idling are all ways you can save money by improving your driving efficiency. If it can save money, don’t you think it is worth giving it a try?

7) For those of you who have been thinking about switching to a hybrid or electric vehicle, now might be a good time.  Although, you might want to think about investing in a solar system as well – in the long run it will cut down both your home and vehicle expenses. One additional advantage you will have, especially if you live in a major metropolis is that AAA is starting to offer roadside assistance for electric vehicles.

Image from Consumerreports.org

With gas prices on the rise, these tips can at least help you ease the pain a little. If you have other tips you use to ease the pain at the pump, please leave a comment and let me know what steps you take when gas prices are on the rise.

Image by USDAgov / Creative Commons

With gasoline prices as high as they are and many analysts predicting they will reach the $5 per gallon mark in the not too distant future, people are beginning to turn more and more to alternative fuels. Hybrids, electric vehicles and solar-powered vehicles may be a hot ticket item now, but what about all the other alternative fuels out there?

We know about corn-based ethanol, however, that has become a heated subject with foodies, environmentalists and the general public alike, especially since U.S. farmers are beginning to grow genetically modified corn solely for ethanol production. This has sparked concerns about cross-contamination and aid organizations are already warning that having farmers produce corn for fuel instead of food, could severely impact global food supplies.

So, what other options are available? Well, let’s take a look at some of the oddly edible gasoline, diesel and other fuel alternatives which could eventually make it into the mainstream market:

Image by orgadem / Creative Commons

Farmers, automakers and airlines had at one point been looking into the possibility of biodiesel made from the fruit of a jatropha tree. Countries like China, India and Brazil have already been tapping into the alternative fuel advantages of the jatropha tree. We’ll have to see if this little fruit can make a stand in the alternative fuel arena.

Image by Kate Webster / Creative Commons

How about taking your morning cup o’ joe and turning those coffee grounds into a biodiesel which could get you to work. Although coffee ground biodiesel will probably never be used as a major fuel alternative, as long it is used coffee grounds they are talking about, this one could be a cool alternative fuel option.

Image by Lee McCoy / Creative Commons

The idea behind this eco-race car is extremely innovative. Not only does the race car use a biofuel made partially of chocolate (sorry all you chocolate lovers out there), but parts of the car itself are made from vegetables. That’s right, vegetables. Carrots went into the making of the steering wheel and potato starch and flax seed were used in the production of the mirrors and front wing.

Image by Sean / Creative Commons

Here’s a green, well actually yellow, fuel made from banana waste. In this example researchers figured out a way to turn banana skins into briquettes that could be used for cooking, heating and to produce light. Can you imagine firing up the BBQ with banana briquettes?

Image by Steven Guzzardi / Creative Commons

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention beer waste energy. Instead of breweries trying to sell or get rid of their spent grain, why not turn it into energy to help power their own plants? It worked for China and Thailand with their rice and sugar cane, so why not for the beer industry? Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is already tapping into their beer waste in addition to using fuel cells to help power their buildings and the beer-making process.

Image by Lorenzo Blangiardi / Creative Commons

Here’s one I thought was a very odd choice for an alternative fuel…rabbits. In Sweden, due to the over population of rabbits, combined with laws against the disposal of raw meat or carcasses, one company began using rabbits to produce the fuel needed to heat homes. But it wasn’t just rabbits, they used reindeer, pigs, horses, cows and other animals.

Image by Nathan Goddard / Creative Commons

Unfortunately turkeys have recently managed to find their way onto the alternative fuel chopping block as well, with turkey parts being used to make biodiesel. One particular company set up shop right next to a company who raises and slaughters turkeys for food. This way they are able to capitalize on the turkey “leftovers” as a key component to their biofuel.

Image by Ian Collins / Creative Commons

Since we’re on the subject, another animal-derived biodiesel which has recently surfaced is alligator fat biodiesel. Not surprisingly, this one comes from researchers in Louisiana. Every year over 15 million pounds of alligator fat (wow, what a figure) is dumped into landfills. I guess when you look at it that way, it’s better to use the fat as fuel than let it go to waste. Of course, who knew there was such a demand for alligator meat?

Image by lee / Creative Commons

Last but not least on my list is a plan which surfaced in the United Kingdom to use oil from stale pastries, pies and crisps to fuel cars. Now, I knew Cornish pastries were popular in the UK, but that’s a lot of good pastry going to waste if a whole new eco-friendly fuel can be generated.

Of course, if you aren’t quite ready to switch your car over to one of these alternative fuels, you can always check out Biofriendly Corporation’s Green Plus® gasoline fuel saver which is proven to reduce emissions, improve engine power and increase fuel economy.

But keep in mind, the next time you munch on a piece of fruit, snack on a baked good, or sip on your favorite beverage, you may just be looking at the next oddly edible gasoline, diesel or other fuel alternative. I mean if alternative fuels are going to become part of a worldwide change, a variety of options must be available so we don’t exhaust any one resource.

One of the easiest ways to save on auto expenses is to save on gasoline. You can save in many ways: drive less, hunt around for the best fuel prices, carpool, use public transportation, use a proven fuel additive, ride share, invest in a hybrid or EV, etc.

Image by Jeff Moser/BikeCarson.com

But one of the most beneficial and fun ways to save on gasoline, even skip gasoline if you so choose, is by pedal power! If you haven’t noticed, bike riding has made a big comeback in the last few years. Business men and women are riding bikes to work, families are spending quality time going for bike rides, people are riding their bikes for exercise, kids are riding their bikes to/from school and more.  There are bike groups, bike clubs, riding competitions, etc. So many great ways to have fun AND save gas.

Plus, take a look at some of the many resources available to help make riding your bike even better:

1 - Map My Ride: This is a great tool to help you plot a bike trip, find bike trails, track your progress, hook you up with a cycling group and more. They also have an iPhone app and a Blackberry app to use while on your ride.

Of course this works too:

Image by Spesh98

2 – Bicycle Safety Tips: Be familiar with these 10 collision types and learn how to avoid them. Even though pedal power has made a comeback, it doesn’t mean that motorists are always aware of cyclists when they are driving. Make them aware of you.

Here are a few more tips from the League of American Bicyclists: follow the rules of the road, stay visible to vehicles and others, be predictable while riding, anticipate potential situations and of course, wear a helmet.

3 – State by State Trails: If you are looking for trails, but don’t know where you go, check out American Trails. They are a good resource for trails in the U.S. and Canada. Not only that, they also provide information on how you can volunteer and be an advocate for keeping these trails alive for future generations.

One of the nice things about this resource is you can check not only for bike trails, but for hiking trails, walking trails, horseback riding trails, snow trails, etc.

Image by KWDesigns

4 – Trails.com: Another wonderful resource for finding trails. You simply put in your city, state and zip code, then it shows you a map of your area. Icons show you whether the trails shown are hiking trails, biking trails, etc.

5 – Social riding: Ridedog.com is a cool resource if you are into social media and you want to share where you are riding through a tweet or maybe send your Facebook friends information on your latest ride. If you must stay connected while tapping into your pedal power, this resource will help you do so.

Personally, I’d rather disconnect from my online life for a bit while enjoying the great outdoors, but that’s my preference.

6 – Commuter tools: This is a great site for existing, or even potential, bike commuters. There are tools including state by state information on bicycle laws and a gas-saving calculator. They even have a blog with informative posts such as this one: “Commuter Profile: 100 Pounds Ago’s Gene Butcher“.

Here are a few more tips for your bike commute:

Even if you don’t need or use any of the above resources, figure out how you can skip gasoline and make some good use of your pedal power. It’s better for you, your health and the environment. What are you waiting for…go ride a bike!

Image by ^riza^ 

Now that we are going to be heading into the holidays, I figured I’d give you a few tricks and treats you can use to make the most out of your vehicle’s gasoline consumption.  These tips can be used anytime actually whether gasoline prices are up or down or whether you are driving to work or heading out for that holiday vacation.  Just keep them in mind as they can help you lower your emissions, speed up your travel and of course put more of your money back in your wallet.

1. If you have a vehicle that uses alternative fuels, take the time before you leave to find out where the alternative fueling stations can be found.  It will save you time and speed up your arrival time if you know exactly where you can/can’t stop along the way.  GreenCar.com has a great tool that shows you all kinds of alternative fuel filling stations within a 1-10 mile radius of the location you enter. 

2. Know before you go.  Entering your destination on your GPS or mapping your route via a service like Mapquest will help you save time and fuel.  Studies have even shown that use of a GPS can reduce emissions by up to 21%.  Mapquest also has a cool gas price programwhere you can see what the price of gas (or diesel or alternative fuel) is along your route and/or at your destination.  This way you know whether its smarter to fill up now or just put in 1/2 a tank as there is cheaper fuel further along.  This is particularly valuable when going on long trips as we all have probably experienced filling up and then seeing a sign for cheaper fuel only 5 miles down the highway.

3. Get your vehicle fully tuned up regularly.  Changing your vehicles’ fluids, rotating your tires and/or checking to ensure they have the correct air pressure in them, getting your brakes checked, etc are all regular maintenance activities that when done properly will help keep your vehicle running properly.  A proven fuel additive will also help reduce build-up in your engine and provide a more complete burn, thus helping fuel efficiency.  Keeping your vehicle running well improves gasoline consumption and lessens harmful exhaust.

4. Empty your vehicle of all unneeded items.  A heavy, loaded-down vehicle tends to use more gas to get where you need to go.  On trips, I know this isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do as you are usually packed full for your trip.  One simple tip to lessen the weight of your vehicle is to only fill up half-way.  It will mean stopping more for gas, but may get you better mileage.  However in your regular week to week, day to day commutes, keeping your vehicle cleaned out is definitely a smart move.

5. Car-pool or take public transportation whenever you can.  Not only does car-pooling help save gasoline, but if your car-pool members each take turns driving their vehicle at least once a week then you save big on maintenance costs as well.  Driving as part of a car-pool or taking public transportation whenever you can is one of the simplest tricks for saving gas. 

6. Drive smart.  Aggressive drivers who rapidly accelerate or brake while driving are wasting gas.  Did you know that driving that way can actually lower your gas mileage by up to 33%?   There is no reason to rapidly accelerate only to have to slam on your brakes a little further ahead.  Just be smart when driving.  It will not only give you better gas mileage, it is also safer for you and those around you. 

These are simple tricks but some of the treats are better mileage, less harmful emissions, less gasoline used and more money saved.  Even for those who drive a hybrid or electric vehicle, many of the tricks I mentioned can be used by you as well. 

Image by biofriendly 

Even with the large volume of hybrids and electric vehicles being driven around the U.S. every day, there are still millions and millions of  hydrocarbon-based gasoline and diesel vehicles adding to our poor air quality.  For example, these types of vehicles are reportedly responsible for about 60% of the air pollution in most major cities.

What causes these vehicles to create harmful emissions and polluting exhaust?  It’s all in the combustion.  The incomplete combustion of these fuels can cause the hydrocarbons to react with nitrogen oxides (often produced from high temperatures and oxygen in excess of the amount needed to burn the fuel).  Then when the resultant gases hit the sunlight, they form ground-level ozone aka smog.

Now the volume of hydrocarbon-based fuels being used along with the efficiency, or inefficiency, of the cars’ engines will determine the amount of ground-level ozone/smog being produced.   If you have ever been in a congested city you know how heavy the air can seem.  That’s mostly ozone.  Ozone is a very potent irritant and can not only cause eye or throat irritations, but potentially serious lung damage or respiratory trouble.

So what can be done?  Everyone could go and trade their existing vehicles in for electric or hybrid vehicles, but that’s probably not a very workable solution.  Besides where would all the old vehicles go?  We already know they are having trouble disposing of the “Cash for Clunkers” vehicles. 

A simple solution is to improve the combustion of hydrocarbon-based gasoline and diesel fuels.   How do you do that?  Well, a few factors are key: First you should ensure you keep your engine clean and tune up your car regularly.  Built-up and unburned fuel can clog your engine and hinder future combustion.  Second you should use a proven fuel additive that will help un-bundle the hydrocarbon molecules, allowing oxygen easier access and thus producing a more complete burn.

I know this isn’t the end-all solution, but steps like this are something each person and/or company can do in order to ensure the vehicle(s) they are driving burn the hydrocarbons more completely.  Doing so will lower the volume of harmful emissions being produced and clean up the air we breathe.         

Image from Freiker.org 

Now that most schools are back in session (or will be next week), parents are having to deal with dropping their kids off at school before they head to work.  Not only does this add more time to your morning routine, but you end up using more gasoline and often add frustration to the start of your day, etc.  The solution?  Have your kid become a Freiker!

What’s a Freiker? Freiker stands for FREquent bIKER.  Basically it is a kid who instead of being driven to school, they take their bike or even walk.  The Freiker Program was started about 5 years ago by a dad, who after unsuccessfully trying to convince his kids to ride their bikes to school (less than a mile from their home), decided to offer them small prizes if they would take their bikes.  The kids enjoyed it so much, he figured it would be a great thing for other kids to do and the program has been growing ever since. 

In Feb 2009, Freiker reached a milestone by having over 100,000 ”kid-powered rides” logged.  They calculated that out to be over 150,000 miles, over 3.5 million calories burned, nearly 8,000 gallons of gasoline saved and 150,000 tons of CO2 prevented.  As of today, there have been over 138,000 rides logged. 

One of the cool things about this program is that whole schools can get involved.  A school installs a ”Freikometer”, which is a solar-powered, internet-enabled RFID reader.  This allows kids’ rides to school to be automatically tracked and reported.  Each trip a kid makes is tallied and at the end of the year, they are rewarded with a party and prizes for their rides.

Here are some of the great features of the Freiker Program:

• Biking or riding to school gets kids exercising.  Rather than sitting in the car or riding the bus, they get exercise by riding or walking to/from school.
• Helps make kids more independent when they don’t NEED to rely on their parents or the bus to get to school.
• If you are a parent, you know how many cars sit and idle outside of school to drop off or pick up kids.  If more kids ride/bike to school this means less congestion and better air quality around the school.
• Since the RFID tags are placed on the kids’ helmet and rides aren’t tracked unless they have their helmet, this promotes safety and helmet use.
• It’s a great activity not only kids, but their parents and the school can support and get involved in. 

And don’t forget, October 7th is International Walk to School Day in the U.S.  Therefore, now is a great time to get your kid started on walking/biking to school as part of the Freiker program.  Talk to your kid’s school about getting involved.

You do your part by car-pooling, riding your bike to work, using a proven fuel additive, taking public transportation, etc. so please get your kids involved too.  The Freiker program sets a great example as it gets kids exercise through biking or walking to school, it’s environmentally-friendly, saves gasoline, lowers emissions and it’s fun! 

Image courtesy of Samson Motorworks 

Earlier this year I wrote about Samson Motorworks and their SkyBike™.  It looks like they have now come out with something even better – The Switchblade™!  And let me tell you, not only does the name make it sound cool, but the bike is top of the line.  It drives, it flies and it takes traveling green to all new heights.

What’s different about the Switchblade™?  Well, to start with the scissor wing design shaves about 200 lbs off the weight of the “bike” yet allows it to have a much better range and ability to maneuver.  When you want to drive it, the wings quickly swing closed into a case under the belly of the plane.  The case is designed to protect the wings from rocks, bumps, etc. that would otherwise damage the wings.

The Switchblade also is described as having a “Ferrari-inspired” shape with clean lines and smooth surfaces, which not only boost its appeal but allow for a more aero-dynamic drive/flight.  Other key features include: side-by-side seating, better range, slower handling speed and a wide cabin.  Also, since the Switchblade is a motorcycle, you should have no problem driving in the car-pool lane.

Now for some specs:

• Gross take-off weight – 1400 lbs
• Length 15’6″, Width 5’6″, Height 5’1″
• Seats: 2, side by side
• Speed: 90+ on the ground, 134 mph in the air
• Range: 880 miles ground, 340 miles air
• MPG: 60 mpg ground (estimate), 22 mpg air
• Wingspan: 23’5″ main
• Engine: 120 hp Freedom Motor twin rotor
• Fuel: regular unleaded gasoline (but it’s capable of using any fuel due to the freedom motor)
• NOTE: Having a freedom motor is like using a good fuel additive because both greatly reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
• Fuel capacity: 16 gallons including reserve

Essentially, you could take a road trip from Los Angeles almost all the way to San Francisco and back on one tank of gas (driving that is).  Or you could drive up and fly home if you needed to get back for that last minute meeting.  Either way the Switchblade is flexible.

Another thing to know is that they have already finished basic layouts for both a hybrid and electric version.  So when it comes to figuring out what your next green vehicle will be, remember to keep the Switchblade in mind.  Seriously…just think of the possibilities.  I mean, why settle for driving alone, when you can drive OR fly!

Image by biofriendly  

I’m sure you’ve noticed the price of gasoline is on the rise again.  The price for unleaded gas where I live in Southern California is right around $3.00/gallon whereas a little over two months ago (on April 16, 2009) it was “just” $2.25/gallon.  In two months it’s gone up about $0.75/gallon…that’s quite an increase.

But what can you do to ensure you aren’t wasting the gas you do buy?  Yes, you can do smart things like car-pool to work, use public transportation, limit your trips, walk, ride your bike, etc.  And of course if you have an electric car, you don’t need to worry about that.  For those who don’t have electric cars, how do you know whether or not you are wasting gas every time you drive your car?

Well, to make it simple, there are hydrocarbons in gasoline and diesel that tend to bundle together.  When they do this, oxygen can’t fully reach the fuel and thus it can’t burn completely.  This results in exhaust and the partially burnt molecules contribute to pollution and the harmful emissions that come from your car.  Basically you are wasting gas and harming the environment by not ensuring you get a more complete burn from your gasoline.

How do you get that more complete burn though?  I’m sure there are various ways, but thankfully a good fuel additive like Green Plus™  (created by Biofriendly Corporation) will help the hydrocarbons in your gasoline or diesel to unbundle.  The unbundling exposes them more to oxygen and therefore allows them to be able to burn more completely.

The result is not only a better use of the gasoline you are paying for, but you reduce the harmful emissions from your car and get better fuel efficiency as well.  It’s a win-win all around.  So before you burn a hole in your wallet from rising gas prices, make sure you car in completely burning your gasoline instead.

Image by biofriendly

If you ask almost anyone, they know that ride-sharing, car- or van-pooling and using public transportation will definitely make a difference to your fuel economy.  It will also save you money.  So, why don’t more people ride-share or car-pool?

Maybe it’s because they don’t know how much they will save.  Now I don’t live in the Northeast, but I recently starting following a company on Twitter and thought I’d go to their site and check it out.  It’s The Rideshare Company.  So I went to www.rideshare.com to calculate how much we would save if we had my husband ride-share or van-pool to work (I work from home, so no car-pool needed). 

I filled out their form and it showed that the estimated cost per mile for gas, maintenance and tires ran us about $0.2437.  Then it showed the estimated cost per day for vehicle depreciation was $11.63.  His overall estimated drive-alone commuting costs were $448.98 per month and $5387.76 per year.  Ouch!  Then they gave me the estimated cost for full time ride-share costs in a full size van – $1584.00, breaking down to about $132.00 per month.  Well, that’s a heck of a lot better than the $448.98 per month in drive-alone costs!

They also give you some environmental impact results they’ve had so far, including contributing to: 402 million less miles traveled, 11 million fewer vehicle trips, 201 thousand fewer tons of emissions released into the air (could be reduced even further with a good fuel additive) and 19 million gallons of gasoline conserved.  And that’s just from one ride-share company!

So, if every car emits its own weight in CO2 per year, then cutting just 25 miles a week from your regular driving could apparently save 1500 lbs of CO2.  Plus just think of the fuel economy, the savings and the lowered stress levels you would have by ride-sharing even just once or twice a week.  Honey…your ride-share is here!

Getting a jump on the rest of the world, the California Air Resources Board recently approved a landmark regulation designed to cut carbon emissions from California’s transportation fuels.  The Low Carbon Fuel Standard aims to reduce harmful emissions from California’s transportation fuels by 10% over the next 11 years.

How does it intend to do this?  Well, for one, having a new standard in place should boost the market for alternative-fuel vehicles.  That alone could eliminate around 16 million metric tons of emissions.  The new regulation is also expected to dramatically cut gasoline consumption (by around 20-25%) and of course encourage the development of low-carbon fuel sources for vehicles.  As reported by sustainablebusiness.com, fuel sources such as algae, post-recycled garbage, wood, straw, weeds, etc are all being considered.

The LA Times also reported, “The regulation requires producers, refiners and importers of gasoline and diesel to reduce the carbon footprint of their fuel by 10% over the next decade.”  With 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions being generated from the transportation section, it is good that measures such as these are being taken to lower these harmful emissions.

But I guess that means if you are planning to import gasoline to California, you’d better ensure it meets the new low-carbon fuel standards or start using an effective fuel additive to get it to conform to the new standards.

On a more immediate basis, one benefit of California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard is that it should create an estimated 3,000 new jobs.  With over 1.5 billion gallons of biofuels needed to sufficiently lower emissions (as per estimates from the California Air Resources Board) more than 25 new biofuel factories will need to be built.  So not only will workers be needed to build the factories but employees will be needed to run them and with the current condition of unemployment in California, new jobs are definitely good news.