The following post was written by NC State student Ryan Kilgore
I, for one, am tired of just crawling into a car and driving hour after hour without any sense of purpose, aside from getting to where I’m going.
As your prepare for your next road trip, make your drive more meaningful and exciting by seeing how sustainable you can make it. Some ideas:
Watch what you eat
I am guilty of grabbing those excessively wrapped goodies and plastic bottles on road trips. Sometimes I say to myself, “eh, I deserve this. It’s gonna be a long day so why not brighten it up with a honeybun?” This time, instead of eating from a gas station or vending machine, how about we pack a couple of juicy apples and snacks from the bulk foods section? Instead of relying on disposable water bottles, let’s grab our reusable water bottle before leaving.
Check tire pressure
A quick fix that people usually forget to do: check your tire pressure just before leaving and fill your tires with more air if needed. It will really improve your gas mileage.
Turn off your car
When you make a quick stop along your trip, turn the car off instead of letting it run – even if it’s just a quick stop. Saving every drop of gas counts, right?
Pick up litter
I challenge everyone this holiday season to pick up at least one piece of litter during their travels. More would be great (and might even get you bonus points if you decide to play the “whose drive to town was more sustainable” game with relatives). If every traveler picked up just one piece of litter, that would really help clean up our highways.
Safe travels, everyone.
Image credit: Flickr