Earth Day 2007
Sunday April 22
The Great Gas Challenge
With gasoline prices soaring to a wallet choking 3.09$ per gallon and Earth Day just around the corner, we’ve decided to save money and help the planet at the same time. We’ve challenged ourselves to see how long we can go without buying gasoline.
That will mean a lot of walking or biking to run errands and finding places close enough to walk or bike too, but the side benefit here is a ton of healthy fresh air and exercise to whittle away the winter derriere I’ve managed to put on.
To be fair, we telecommute to work so we don’t drive back and forth to work everyday. This in itself saves us an enormous amount of money in gasoline alone not to mention wear and tear on our car and reduction of CO2 and greenhouse gas emission from our car. Most people don’t have a work from home system, but everyone can reduce the amount of time they spend driving.
Handy Tips
Buy gas on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Gas stations raise prices on weekends, knowing that most casual driving is done at this time and it’s when most people have time or the need to fill up. Sneaky bastards, aren't they?
Buy gas during the coldest part of the day. As temperatures get warmer during the day, gas expands so filling up your tank at 3pm (the hottest part of the day) rather than at 5am (the coolest part) means that you will get less gas in your tank.
Challenge Stats
Gas Purchased on: March 27, 2007
Price: $2.74/gallon
Gallons: 7.4
Cost: $20.00
After our visit to the gas station, the tank was almost ¾ full. I remember the days when 10$ pinned the gas gauge at F on the very same car! The car gets 33 mpg highway and about 26 mpg city driving, but with the state of traffic around here both of those numbers are only round figures.
We estimate that we can make it at least 2 months without getting gas again, but the challenge is to make it longer than that. The car must be below E before we get gas again, even if it means we are running on fumes.
A counter on Activ8 will keep an update of how many days we have made it.
We challenge you to challenge yourselves!
Check out the results of the Great Gas Challenge
What Will YOU Do?
Use less electricity?
Pick up litter that isn't yours?
Not drive an automobile?
Boycot companies that pollute?
Plant a tree?
Picnic in a park?
Take a nature walk?
Write your Congressperson?
Donate money or time?
Visit an Earth Day Fest?
Host an Earth Day Fest?
It doesn't matter what you do,
as long as you DO!
Earth
Day Network
International
Earth Day