I posted this originally on May 15th, 2007. Since yesterday was Blog Action Day (I missed it by a day, so shoot me), I thought I’d dust it off, update it, and remind folks of the small changes they can make to increase their gas mileage. The intersection of action that is good the the pocketbook and the planet.

You may ask yourself: What can I do to save money on fuel? How can I use less fuel? How can I reduce my contribution to greenhouse gases? Well, there are many things you can do and the simplicity of these actions might surprise you. Sure, go buy a hybrid or more fuel efficient car if you have the cash and inclination. But if you’re looking for some cheaper, easier, and more pragmatic ways to make an impact, read and act on suggestions listed below. If each driver in the US would do the following things over the next year, it could reduce fuel demand by as much as 10%.

Easist (and cheapest – they don’t cost a dime) Actions to Save Fuel:

• Drive the speed limit, the faster you go, the more fuel you burn (and your ticket risk goes down) this yields around 5% fuel efficiency
• Remove unnecessary items from your car, each 100 lbs of weight removed can add up to 2% fuel efficiency (another good reason to go on a diet? Every pound counts…)
• Don’t idle your car unnecesarily, for any delay longer than a stop light, switch the ignition off
• Whenever you make a trip, combine multiple segments into one eliminating the need for mulitple trips
• Take it easy, hot rod starts and fast braking can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 33%

Easy Actions to Save Fuel:

• Make sure your tires are properly inflated, wheels balanced, and aligned this will yield around 3% fuel efficiency
• Ensure your car has a clean air filter which could yield up to 5% fuel efficiency
• Keep your car “tuned up” which will yield up to 4% fuel efficiency
• Use the right grade of motor oil, this will yield up to 2% fuel efficiency

More Actions to Save Fuel:

• If you must commute, carpool or take public transport
• Buy a more fuel efficient car, a 10mpg difference could save as much as $3,000 per year in fuel
• Avoid “rush hour” travel
• Telecommute to work

Obviously, these actions range in cost and effort from essentially zero (change your driving behavior and remove excess weight) to very expensive (buy a more fuel efficient car.) It’s not important that you choose to do each action, what is important is that you choose at least one action and follow through with it. If we all do this, we can in aggregate make a positive difference. Thanks for stopping by, if you know of actions not mentioned, please leave a comment.