Outrageous fuel prices soar on what seems an almost daily basis, more and more of us are looking for ways to save on gas pump prices. A few years ago, could you have even fathomed that gas would be in the $4.00/gallon range? I know it seems almost normal now, but it’s really taking one hell of a toll on us! Going green and saving energy is one thing, but there are some additional steps we can take to save at the pump.

Enjoy the following tips!

1. There are several options when filling up your car - But in the end, one should always fill up with the lower octane fuel. Most cars do not require a premium form of gasoline, so if your car does not need it, then do not do so because it is just a huge waste of money and it will not increase your car’s performance in any shape or form, and it may give you deadly cancer (kidding!) The majority of cars can run just fine on regular unleaded fuel, but be sure to check your owner’s manual if you are uncertain about your make and model.

2. Never ever top off your car! The additional gas is not going to do anything but seep out so there is not point in wasting your money or the gas. Once the automatic nozzle clicks off immediately stop to prevent any loss.

3. After filling up your tank always be sure to tighten your gas cap as much as possible. If the gas cap is left loose then your gasoline can actually escape from your car. It is estimated that 147 million gallons of gas is lost to evaporation every year.

4. If possible, one should always park in the shade. While in direct sunlight there will be a much greater percentage of evaporation emissions then if you take the other route and park under a tree or behind a building. Another good idea is to purchase a good windshield shade to help block sunlight from entering your vehicle.

5. Properly inflated tires will do wonders! Never drive on under inflated tires as that will just cause them to wear down and lower your miles per gallon. A vehicle’s miles per gallon rate can drop as much as 15% if the tires are not properly inflated.

6. Purchase a digital gauge and keep it in your car at all times. By checking your tire pressure once every month you can easily tell if your tires need to be inflated or not. It is often a good idea to check your tire pressure during cold weather.

7. By performing simple maintenance on your car you can save a lot of gasoline and ensure that your car is running smoothly. One of the best things you can do is to keep your car in tune. If your car is out of tune then a simple tune up can end up saving your up to 4% on gas mileage. Lastly one should regularly check on the spark plugs to ensure they are not misfiring. A misfiring plug can cause your cars gas mileage to drop by numbers as high as 30%.

8. A regular replacement of your air filter will keep your engine running smoothly and make it much more fuel efficient. A clogged filter will end up reducing your cars miles per gallon by 5-10% and could cost you up to 15 cents more per gallon.

9. Most vehicles run better and more smoothly on one particular brand of oil. Be sure to always check the manufacturer’s oil recommendation as this can help to increase your car’s miles per gallon by a couple of percentage points.

10. Get your car checked frequently. Your oil should be changed every 3000 miles (sometimes a little bit more for certain models) and this is a good time to have basic checks done to your car. Just remember a car in good condition will conserve a lot more gas and save you a lot of money in the process.

The Geeky Goods

So, lets start with something that’s getting tossed out like yesterday’s bathwater - USB flash drives. These little babies are filling up landfills all over the world, just like floppies and CD’s did in past years. Problem is, your average USB flash drive is full of all those fun circuit board chemicals, and won’t break down naturally, which over time, can poison the soil..yada, yada, yada. So, someone was really thinking when they came upwith the Earth Drive. This little 4GB trooper is made from bio-recycled materials, it’s shockproof, and it’s freakin’ waterproof (although it’s probably not a good idea to take a crack at it with a sledge hammer while you’re scuba diving). You can pick one up at Costco for about $35 - yeah, it may be a bit pricey for a flash drive, but part of the proceeds are donated by the manufacturer to planting trees around the world. Tree hugger!

Next up is probably the most expensive wall lamp you’ve ever seen in your life. Okay, let me rephrase - it’s actually referred to as “Green Art Lighting” pfft..Seriously though, even with a pricey price tag, this is a pretty sweet looking work of art. It features dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs which not only help save energy, but can also set the mood (yeah, like you’ve got any girls coming over).With a recycled glass base, and a shade made of Environ ( a recycled paper and soy flour mixture), this Frankie Wall Sconce will look hot in any studio apartment (or your mother’s basement, geek). You can pick one up at LivingEcho.Com for a cool $435.

I couldn’t pass this up, because it’s just too cool. Not that many of you use calculators anymore, but if you do, and if you just happen to be in the market for one, and you’re wanting to go green at the same time - I have the answer to your prayers. Check it - a water powered calculator! Yeah, this baby is powered by good ol’ H2O right from your dirty sink. Just pull out the two little tubes from underneath, put some water in it, and you’ll have power for 2 months. So the next time you have a craving for harnessing the power of water molecules to power a calculator, this is definitely your chance - and you can do it all for $26.00!

When was the last time you rode a bike? Okay, when was the last time you rode a glow in the dark bike? Exactly. That’s why you need to take a serious look at the newest and coolest invention from Puma and Biomega. This urban transportation device will not only allow you to live greener, but you’ll glow so bright at night, you could probably be mistaken for a streetlight! Seriously though, these are quality and sturdy bikes that will get you from point A to B without a drop of gas, and you’ll look cool as hell in the process…that is, if you ride at night. Forget the safety vest - you don’t need it anymore. Pick up a Puma Stealth Visibility bike for a mere $1600.

Even though chances are pretty good that you’ll never look like the dude modeling these green drawers, it’s still an awesome way to transition into wearing clothing made from bamboo and organic cotton. Remember when you were a kid, and you used to say, “when I grow up, I’ll wear clothes made from bamboo and organic cotton”? Well, today is your lucky day, because that’s exactly what these boxers are made from. Renewable fiber is the way of the future, and an added bonus is that if you wear these, your body will slowly morph into the hard body you see in the picture. Pick up a pair of these from Living Echo for only 15 smackers.

So stay tuned for more upcoming green geeky gifts, and in the meantime, save up some more money so you can actually afford to buy something other than the boxers.

Below are 10 simple ideas one can take advantage of to help reduce our impact on the environment and to save money at the same time.

1. Save energy and save money - Just by setting your thermostat two or three degrees lower in the winter and a couple in the summer can do wonders to help you save money on energy bills from heating and cooling. Not only this but it will reduce energy usage by a great amount.

In today’s day and age there are new energy saving light bulbs. Fluorescent light bulbs uses only a fraction of energy compared to its older counterpart but it also lasts longer and will save you a lot of money every year.

When you are not using certain appliances one should always unplug them. If this is too much of a hassle then there are “smart” power strips available for purchase which cuts off power usage to appliances that are currently not in use. Just remember appliances still use energy even if they are not actively being used.

When doing your laundry try to use cold water as much as possible. The majority of the energy used when machine washing clothes goes to warming up the water.

2. Save water and money -Perhaps one of the most simple ways to save water and money is to cut down the time spent in the shower. Not only will this reduce your water bill but it will reduce your energy bill as well.

Spend a few extra dollars on a low flow shower head. They do not cost all that much and in the end they will save water and energy resulting in a lower bill for you.

Install a faucet aerator on each and every faucet in your house. A faucet aerator will conserve heat and save water, while keeping water pressure as high as it should be.

3. Use less gas and use less money - The most obvious way to use less gas is to walk or bike to your destination whenever possible. This will save you money on gas, possibly parking costs, and help improve your cardiovascular health.

Consider the possibility to lobby your local government into spending money on sidewalks and bike lanes for the road. This will of course cost a little bit but will pay off in the end by bettering health, environment, and traffic.

4. Do not drink bottled water - Drinking bottled water not only generates a lot of plastic waste (which does not decompose I would like to add), but it is also a lot more expensive then drinking purified tap water. Buy a reusable drinking container if you are going someplace where you may need a drink such as the gym. That way you do not create more waste for the planet.

5. Shop around and think - Always look around before purchasing something. There are a lot of great resources out there such as Craigslist.com where one can buy second hand products that are in almost perfect shape. Not only that but they are often cheaper and sometimes even free.

Never drive by a garage sale or thrift shop. You never know what they may have. They may have exactly what you are looking for at a much lower price. This helps reduce waste and saves you money.

Also I would like to point out that you should never throw anything away that could be of some use to somebody else. There are a lot of places that take “junk” items such as Good Will. Not only will this reduce waste but you can also get a nice tax break at the end of the year for your donations.

6. Never throw away electronic devices - Try to use your cell phones, desktop computers, and mp3 players for as long as possible. There is no need to purchase the latest model of every new device when your old one works just fine.

When the time comes to get rid of an electronically device donate or recycle them Recycle them as needed when the time comes. Most electronic devices contains mercury and other toxic chemicals which adds on to the environmental harm.

7. Make cleaning materials - Most cleaning supplies can be hand made with common household items such as baking soda and lemon juice. There are a lot of online resources which will tell you how to do so. This will save a lot of money and reduce the amount of trash created.

As usual, stay tuned for more green tips that will help you make a greater environmental impact on this awesome planet of ours. If you have any additional tips, we’d love to see them below in the comments!

How does it work?

Simply put, hydro energy is harnessed when a hydro plant channels and moves water through a series of pipes which eventually pushes a special set of blades and turns it in a turbine that produces electricity. There are several different ways that companies utilize and store the water (some are river based, others use massive storage tanks of water), but it all pretty much ends up the same way. So with the amount of water on this Earth of ours, you would think that there would be more of this going on, and perhaps one day there will be, but it all boils down to politics and money.

Hydro generated electricity makes up roughly 20% of the world’s supply, which is no small number by any means. I think that within the next decade, as the oil crisis spirals out of control that we’ll see that number go higher, along with other forms of alternative energy like solar and wind.

While solar based energy and wind energy (which is currently being explored by the Pickens Plan) are also on the table for alternative strategies, hydro generated electricity packs some very attractive advantages:

Pro’s

1. It is way more consistent than wind and solar power, because water can be stored and there are obviously huge amounts of it on Earth.

2. It doesn’t emit ANY waste or harmful gas.

3. Hydro stations are very manageable economically speaking.

On the flip side, there are some drawbacks to hydro electricity, which critics are very quick to point out. Some of those disadvantages include:

Con’s

1. Building a hydro plant is very expensive

2. Dams can displace local wildlife, and upset the natural fish habitat (which causes all kinds of other problems in nature, since fish are the primary food of many animals).

3. Plant life can also be upset, which again, can have devastating effects on the local habitat around the plant/dam.

All in all, it’s still a fantastic form of energy, and God knows there is plenty of water to go around. As with any idea, there will always be set backs and side effects, but you have to think of it like a prescription medicine – do the benefits outweigh the possible risks? In this case, most people would probably agree that yes, the benefits in our current situation far outweigh possible negative side effects. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens as we move on into the future.

What are your thoughts on hydro electricity? Post in the comments below.

Back on the 8th of July this year, there was a pretty big announcement by a good ol’ boy we all know as T. Boone Pickens, which stated that he had a master plan to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil by utilizing something we have plenty of here at home – wind. It wasn’t a huge surprise, but the enthusiasm and hope it brings for many of us is exciting enough to make us want to pay attention.

Here are the two key strategies of the T. Boone Pickens Plan:

1. Invest approximately 1 trillion dollars to build a massive wind turbine farm to use for power generation.

2. Take the natural gas that was being used for power generation before the wind farm took over, and shift it towards fueling automobiles.

Mr. Pickens, the good Oklahoma boy that he is, is predicting that if “The Plan” goes live and operational, that we’ll cut down the annual oil spend from $700 billion to $400 billion dollars – staggering numbers. Think of what our country could do with an extra $300 billion?

As taken from Wikipedia, here is his three step plan to get things going:

1.  Using the United States’ wind corridor, private industry will fund the installation of thousands of wind turbines in the wind belt, generating enough power to provide 20 percent or more of the country’s electricity supply.

2.  Again funded by the private sector, electric power transmission lines will be built, connecting these wind power generating sites with the power grid, providing energy to the population centers in the Midwest, South and Western regions of the country.

3.  With the energy from wind now available to serve the large population centers in key areas of the country, the natural gas that was historically used to fuel natural gas-fired power plants can be redirected and used as a fuel for private cars and thousands of vehicles in the transportation system. This reduces the need for imported gasoline and diesel fuels.

As you might have recently seen on TV or online, Pickens has shown that he’s pretty dead on serious about getting this underway. As a matter of fact, sources say that he plans on spending upwards of $58 million on his media campaign to promote the Pickens Plan. He’ll be leveraging newspapers, TV, Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and everything in between to get the word out.

Of course, there are some critics, and they’re making sure word gets out about what they think the Pickens Plan will do to us. Rob Bradley of the Institute for Energy Research took and in-depth look at the plan, and reported that, “The Pickens plan relies on special government mandates and subsidies to pick the pockets of American taxpayers and ratepayers”. Also, Bradley isn’t a huge fan of wind power after he was quoted saying “Wind power is inefficient, unreliable, expensive, and a burden to the electricity grid. Natural gas vehicles are a niche product at best. As such, this plan is Robin Hood in reverse: taking from average Americans to subsidize wealthy political entrepreneurs. Finally, the Pickens Plan misdirects the public and policymakers from real solutions: less government for more abundant and affordable energy”.

So what do you think? Is this just a plan for Mr. Pickens to get even richer than he already is? After all, he’s ranked right now as the 117th richest man in America, with roughly 3 billion in the bank. Maybe this windy plan is an ingenious strategy to bump that number down a few dozen notches? Only time will tell, and due to the nature and sheer size of the project, unfortunately we won’t know for a couple years down the road at least.

1. Prevent over-drying - Since living in an apartment building, I’ve taken many trips to the local laundry center and while I’m there, to kill the time, I’ve observed quite a bit. One that that I notice is people, in general, dry their clothes for wayyyy too long! Over-drying your clothes makes them more difficult to iron, not to mention, it wastes energy. Taking your clothes out of the dryer while they’re just a tad damp will make the ironing process easier, and you’ll save energy in the process!

2. Cold water wash - I know, I know - you couldn’t bear washing some of your clothes in cold water, because you’re under the impression that they won’t get as clean. Well, let me break it down for you. First of all, when you wash your clothes in warm or hot water, you’re wasting tons of energy very needlessly. Why? Well, in the past few years, there have been some amazing advancements in cold water detergents, and now we’re at the point where you don’t have to wash anything in hot water anymore. With the amount of quality cold water detergents available, it will clean anything you throw in there! Plus, washing in cold water saves the washer from having to heat the water, which saves you a significant amount of money in the long run.

3. Mr. Dishwasher can handle it! - What I mean is, a lot of people are under the impression that pre-rinsing dishes is necessary, and will make the dishwasher work less. This is not true, people! Consumer Reports even said that this can waste up to 20 gallons of water per day. With the new detergents out, which are enzyme based, they can handle just about anything you throw at them, all you need to do is remove excess food, and you’ll start saving on water right away!

4. Sleep mode - Did you know that leaving your computer on constantly is quite an energy drain? Granted, it’s not as bad as leaving a kitchen light on 24/7 or something else, but still, it’s a waste. Instead, just get in the habit of putting your PC into “sleep mode”, as it could cut electricity consumption by upwards of 80%!

5. Use the microwave - A lot of people still like to fire up the oven in order to heat up food. Did you know that using your handy dandy microwave saves about 80% of the energy an oven uses? The heat from an oven can be nice in the cold winter months, but during the summer, it puts an additional load on your A/C that forces it to work harder.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the 5 energy saving tips above, and these are just the first batch of many that will be coming in the future! As more and more clever people figure out how to efficiently save energy costs, it will benefit us all. So if you have an idea, by all means, leave it in the comment section below!

Over the course of the past year or so, alternative ways to power our vehicles has really taken a worldwide platform. With energy crisis’ like the one we have in America, engineers and everyday folks like you and I are coming up with ideas and ways to cut down on emissions and live a little “greener” - not to mention save money on fuel costs.

Biodiesel has captured the spotlight recently, with the huge influx of more and more vehicles utilizing it as a primary power source. Biodiesel is actually a fantastic way to help solve the problem of outrageous gas prices, as it costs only a fraction of regular gas, is renewable, and is quite easy to come by.

Large companies are converting their fleets everyday to biodiesel, as it can save some corporations millions of dollars per year in fuel costs, and with biodiesel technology on the rise, it’s becoming more practical every day. Because these large companies are going to be saving huge on fuel costs, you, the consumer, benefit because hopefully they’ll pass those savings onto you, and/or use the extra money for new product development which could further help us more.

Since biodiesel vehicles aren’t all that complicated to produce, manufacturers are taking interest, and you should have a problem finding a good biodiesel vehicle for sale in any major city - especially in the highly polluted ones. Dealers who deal exclusively in biodiesel will probably become more prominent, even in smaller cities and towns, as gas prices continue to rise, and demand for the clean biodiesel vehicles climb to soaring rates. There are even kits you can buy, as a consumer, to convert your existing vehicle into a biodiesel burning machine. The kits are still a little pricey, but watch for the prices to fall as biodiesel becomes more mainstream and popular (which won’t take too long).

The main benefits of using a biodiesel vehicle are:

1. It’s clean burning
2. It’s a renewable source
3. It’s significantly cheaper than gas
4. Allows us to be less dependent on oil

So if you’re at all concerned about the current pollution, energy, and fuel problems we’re all experiencing, and want to do something about - then take action! Get into biodiesel, and learn all you can about it, perhaps even building or buying your own biodiesel powered vehicle. It will help us breathe easier, and be easier on the wallet in the long run.

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about making your own biodiesel fuel, check out this “How To Make BioDiesel” blog I ran across, it’s pretty cool!

Wind turbines aren’t anything futuristic or new, as they’ve been around for quite a while. However, with today’s current energy needs, there will obviously need to be some serious scientific engineering revamps to the way we use them, in order to make it a realistic substitution for other forms of energy.

Wind is free, and also quite abundant in many places, but not all. But the general consensus is, “hey, let’s install wind turbines and harness wind energy wherever we can to help cut down on non-renewable resource consumption”. Being able to just plop down a wind turbine in front of your house is a little ways off, but not as far as one would think. If you had the opportunity to install a wind turbine on your property, depending on where you live, you could probably live independently of the power grid for the rest of your days (or as long as the wind keeps blowing!).

It’s actually kind of neat to think that maybe one day you’ll be at Home Depot picking out colors and styles for your government mandated wind turbine if you are a homeowner. I imagine apartment and office buildings with a commercial grade turbine on the roof that powers the entire building. Pretty cool, right?

Believe it or not, even though mass use of wind turbines is a little ways away, if you’re really feeling the “green” spirit, you can build one yourself! That’s right - there are many plans out there (just do a few Google searches) that will tell you how to build your own turbine to harness Earth’s natural power. As a matter of fact, if you want to dive into the world of “wind farming”, head over to this popular wind farmer’s hangout, where I’m sure you’ll get all your questions answered from a nice group of like minded people!

Back to the homemade turbines - in all reality, you don’t need to live in a very windy place to take advantage of them. Even a light breeze will spin most homemade turbines, and the power is stored in convenient batteries that you can use later on when you need it.  One well build wind turbine isn’t all that expensive, and can generate a good portion (if not all) of the energy you need to power your home (depending on energy usage and home size, of course). Not only that, but let’s say you went big time, and build a turbine a little bigger than you planned. Have left over power? Well, depending on how much, quite a few local power companies may be interested in buying it from you. How cool would that be - sending them the bill instead of vice versa!

I’m sure over the next year or two, we’ll see significant improvements in wind turbine science, and chances are good that we’ll see it go mainstream in the next decade. Stay tuned!