Revised 2006.04.29 REV J
Created 2001.06.04

Pretty strong statement. But of course it cuts two ways. If you work at saving gas, then you are helping to reduce the price of gas. If you waste it, then you are affecting the price of oil now and for the future. It is a non-renewable resource. Of course the political elements of the middle east, Nigerian labour issues and the fragile US oil infrastructure and others have a direct effect on the price of oil. The fundamental reality is that if consumption were lower, strain and risk on supply would be lower and the speculative running up of prices would not be nearly as great.

Sand is a commodity too. All the tension in the world is not affecting the price of sand. There's plenty of supply. Oil is sensitive to demand (scarcity) and political instability and that's why the price is going up so fast.

SUV drivers, all alone in their car for the 30 mile commute to and from work are polluting, wasting and driving up the price of gas. Believe it. Say it. There is no excuse for egotistical wastage of a non-renewable resource that pollutes like gas does. But people do it in droves. People who put their comfort or status ahead of everyone else's well being. There are legitimate uses for larger vehicles, but the recent popularity of SUV's and light trucks is having a direct effect on consumption, pollution and gas prices. Individual need varies, but look around your town and see how many SUV users really need a SUV.

Change in buying patterns. Look at the chart below. It represents a change in US vehicle buying habits that is over 20 years in the making. Over that time the number of vehicles on the road has increased 31% and towards vehicles with much less mileage efficiency. This has resulted in a huge increase in the burning of fossil fuels to drive these "light trucks" (Minivans, pickup trucks, SUV's). Now nearly 1/2 of vehicles sold are "light trucks".

(Source: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/771014-MFNz6j/native/771014.pdf )

People who drive excessively large vehicles because it pleases them to do so are simply greedy, egotistical people who don't care about the health and well being of others. An upper middle class person can afford gasoline regardless of the price and is completely indifferent to the financial stress high gas prices put on lower income families. For him, it might mean that his retirement savings grow a little less. For the struggling family it may mean making unpleasant choices in nutrition, clothing, health and education.

Some people have legitimate need for a large truck, van or SUV. But where the fellow behind the wheel is in a suit and tie every day for the commute to work, you know that he is putting his desires of comfort and status ahead of community. With the growth in vehicles on the road that are burning more and more fuel, it is no surprise at all that gas prices have risen. Supply and demand at work. Now some believe that supply will always grow to meet demand. If you don't believe that, then please read this article by Dr. Evar D. Nerring. It illustrates in simple terms why a supply side attack is very unlikely to succeed, and why conservation of fuel pays off so well.

Florida, Texas, California and the BosWash corridor represent 121M people. They consume 8M barrels of oil daily. If this group alone could reduce oil consumption by 10% it would be equal to the peak daily output of the proposed Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Nationwide (US) a mere 6.7% reduction in oil consumption would be the same as not importing any oil at all from Saudi Arabia. (I'm not saying we should not import from Saudi Arabia, but the numbers put things in perspective. Canada, Mexico and Venezuela individually supply more oil than Saudi Arabia does.)

China is growing quickly and they have discovered the automobile en masse. Imports of oil into China and India are growing rapidly meaning there is less available for the rest of the world. In a competitive world of supply and demand, increased demand will put ever growing strain on supply and prices will rise accordingly. The recycling adage of Reduce consumption is all important.

If one person changes their habits there is no effect. But the few litres a week of gasoline that he saves can be multiplied a hundred million fold if simple, straightforward common sense prevails across all users of automobiles.

Driving a gas hog is the new social taboo. Conserving gasoline is the new cool.

Waste not, want not

This website contains tips to save gas regardless of the size of vehicle you drive. So please read them and adopt habits and stratgies to consume less. It will pay off. And the more people who reduce their consumption the greater the impact on pollution and price.

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Why am I writing this page?  With the continuing rise in gas prices and the ever present and growing pollution effects of gas consumption, I want to inform people on ways to reduce their gas consumption to save money and reduce pollution.  This is a very basic common sense page.  You don't have to practice all of these tips, however the more you do the more you save and the greater impact you will have.  Beside each tip, there is a "score" in green to help you evaluate where the impact is the greatest.  This score a bit subjective, but it will help you see where the impact is the greatest.  While the most available points are in Part B "The Car", since this is a very personal choice it is least likely to be an area where people make immediate change, the area where most people can effect change immediately is in part C "Driving habits". (Straight to the tips)

See disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
Version francaise: je cherche quelqu'un pour traduire cette page en francais: contacter moi a l'adresse couriel en bas.

Why save gas?   There are three main reasons, Pollution, Limited-Resource and Cost.

Limited Resource: "Traders worry that U.S. gasoline supplies may not meet summer demand after seven straight weeks of drops in domestic gasoline stocks, which are now at their lowest level since November." --Washington Post, 2006.04.22

Cost: "Crude-oil prices broke through $75 a barrel to hit a new record Friday, fueled by concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions and tight U.S. gasoline supplies." --Washington Post, 2006.04.22

Economic health: < As pump prices rise, they threaten to cramp consumer spending. "High energy prices -- including prices at the pump -- act like a tax on the American economy," Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said yesterday... >--Washington Post, 2006.04.22

Pollution.  <<Particularly high temperatures were measured over Alaska, the Caspian Sea region of Europe and the Antarctic Peninsula, while the United States was unusually cool. But the global average continued a 30-year rise that is "due primarily to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," said Dr. James E. Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, in Manhattan.

The main source of such gases is smokestack and tailpipe emissions from burning coal and oil.>> Quoted from the New York Times, 2005.02.10 in an article citing 2004 as the 4th warmest year on record.

A typical mid sized car burns 1717 kG (3775 LBS) of gasoline per year.  Every Kg of gas is mixed with (about) 15 Kg's of air for combustion.  This results in some 25760 Kgs (56,700 LBS) of emissions per year for typical mid sized car use.  If your car is larger, then obviously the pollution is higher.  Nearly half of the emissions are in the form of SOx, NOx and CO₂.  These pollutants contribute directly to the greenhouse effect and are precursors to ground level ozone resulting in smog and acid rain.  These pollutants take years or decades to precipitate out of the atmosphere, be absorbed by plants or otherwise chemically degrade.  Pollutants affect the air that we and our children breathe.  As consumption increases, the amount of "buffered" pollutants in the air increases degrading our quality of air.

Pollution from using your car does not begin with your car use.  Every car you buy requires tremendous energy to build and adds pollutants to the environment when built.  At the end of your car's life, it becomes pollution, as many of its parts cannot be recycled.  The production of gasoline to run your car produces more pollution in its manufacture and transportation.  So making your car last longer, and using it more efficiently has many leveraging effects that reduce pollution.

Limited-Reource: Oil is a limited resource. Recent reports indicate that oil reserves are dwindling, and that there are fewer and fewer new reserves being discovered per exploration dollar. Every gallon you burn now is a gallon that will never be available again. See the article by Dr. Evar. D. Nering that appears a few pages down.

Cost.   As gasoline prices have been rising in the past couple years due to reduced production from the oil states (OPEC, Venezuela, Norway, etc.) and increased demand by users, there is a great incentive to save fuel:   reduced consumption has a direct effect on your automobile operating costs.  Reduced consumption reduces demand and hence the price of fuel.

On to the next page

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e-meil: alan dot browne at videotron dot ca

Disclaimer: These tips are distributed freely without charge or profit. The tips above are my own opinion. They are based on various and many sources and my own experience and common sense or otherwise as referenced. I am not responsible for actual performance improvements being realized as a result of following the advice/tips above. I am not responsible for damage to your vehicle or property or other vehicles or property as a result of following or attempting to follow the tips above. I am not responsible for injury or death resulting from any person following or attempting to follow the advice or tips above. Driving safely is the responsibility of the driver.