that’s right, every gallon of gasoline emits 20 pounds of co2 into the environment.

a gallon of gasoline only weighs a little over 6 pounds, but co2 is created from combining the carbon with oxygen in the environment which means that the weight of the gasoline in your car more than triples in the amount of emissions released through your exhaust pipe.

what changes can we make?

we all have a number of options to lower the amount of vehicle emissions released each day. below are four simple ways to stop emitting 5 – 9 tons of co2 automobile emissions each year.

1. choose a car that gets better mileage.
   having a car that gets better mpg means you are putting less vehicle emissions into the air. the epa and u.s. department of energy have a great comparison tool to help consumers find the right car for them when considering gas mileage.
2. walk, bike, or take public transportation.
   if you’re close enough to walk or bike to work, or even to the store, you are making nearly a 100% difference in the amount of vehicle emissions you are producing. even if walking or biking to work is not feasible, consider taking public transportation when you can. you will not only be helping the environment, but also your wallet.
3. carpool
   get to work in the fast lane and split save money and reduce pollution doing it. carpooling is a great option if you are looking to save money, the environment, and have a few buddies at the office who live nearby you. many areas have carpool lanes that will let you get to and from work much quicker, and everybody will be splitting the fuel cost.
4. use low-carbon fuels
   using ethanol, cng, or other even cleaner automobile fuels (electric car?) can help reduce co2 pollution when you are driving.

what will fuel your change? 

john perrino is a senior majoring in political communication at the george washington university. julia blakely is a senior majoring in journalism at the george washington university.

if you follow the correct steps then you can achieve both together. for this purpose, you may have to make some investments at the initial stage. these investments can be a little heavy on your pocket, but you will see the difference soon. some ways to increase your fuel mileage is discussed below:

1. fit an air-filter in your car – fit your car with an air-filter. make sure that you purchase the air-filter which is suitable for your car. after you have the correct air-filter, exchange it with the old one that your car or truck has. as you change the air-filter system, change the induction system as well. you can do this work by yourself and save some money by purchasing. this new filter system will allow an increased amount of air to flow to the engine. the appreciated flow of clean air will amplify the combustion and in turn, the performance of your car and fuel mileage will be enhanced.

2. purchase a good exhaust system – fit in an exhaust system in your car that will increase its performance. these systems are a bit expensive, but they are a good investment. a performance-exhaust system has less number of bends. thus, the engine does not have to put in greater effort to pump out the fumes. this enhances the efficiency of the engine and the motorcycle fuel pump. as a result of this you will get an improved mileage and horsepower.

3. fit a power chip in your vehicle – this chip tugs at the electronic control system of your automobile. this modifies the working of the engine. as the engine works more efficiently, you will get better mileage and an enhanced horsepower.

4. reduce the weight of your vehicle – it is very important to cut down on the weight of your automobile. the weight of the car will obstruct the efficiency of the engine. this in turn will reduce the mileage and the horsepower. you can cut down on the unnecessary accessories and heavy wheels made of steel. you can use alloy wheels to reduce the weight of your tires. don’t use over-sized tires.

5. check the air in your tires – make sure that the tires have right amount of air all the time. less inflated tires give rise to greater amount of friction. engines work harder to compensate for this. this reduces the efficiency of the engine. the mileage and horsepower will decrease as well. for better performance of your car fill the tires with correct amount of air and maintain it at all times.

these are the various ways in which you can increase the mileage of your car. this enhances the overall performance and efficiency of the automobile. though these modifying parts can be a little expensive, but, you will reap their benefits as well. the expenses on your fuel will come down as a result of better mileage and horsepower.

many alternative fuels that may help slow down global warming suffer from technical barriers. hydrogen and methane gas (also called ‘natural gas’) are both more environmentally friendly than gasoline, but contain very little energy per unit of volume. this video shows how self-assembled porous materials can lead to fuel tanks that are able to highly concentrate gaseous fuels and thus hold a lot of energy in a small space. cutting edge algorithms and materials are depicted, drawing from research and development in the previous two years at northwestern university in the snurr and hupp laboratories. commercialization of this technology is being carried out by a new startup company: numat technologies.

this additional 6% fuel efficiency can be achieved in 30 minutes with a 2-person installation crew. when combined with other fuel efficiency technologies currently available, trucks can gain upwards of 25% more fuel efficiency, improving the miles per gallon of a tractor-trailer to over 10 mpg for the most efficient fleets in the country.

if the 2 million trailers currently operating in the us today were equipped with trailertails, america’s fuel consumption would be reduced by 5.6 billion gallons over the next decade, saving trucking companies over $20 billion in fuel costs. this aerodynamic add-on would help to keep consumer prices down and prevent 77,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

i used to operate a real-time x-ray machine to examine jet-engine parts but do not have that job any longer. all i would need to do is to x-ray a solar cell (or a stack of them) hooked up to a voltmeter to see if it will work. if this does work or even is remotely feasible, all of those fuel rods wasting away could be used to power many different things and in this configuration should not need a cooling system. since there would only be one rod per “battery,” the “battery” housing could be lead, tungsten, or some other material since the radiation from the rod is not too high.

photo credit to paul stevenson.

the stinger is a monorail automobile hybrid concept. long straight stretches of highway would be outfitted with a monorail in the center of the truck lane flush with the roadway. using the autopilot technology, the stinger is a steel wheel fixed to a strut that hydraulically engages with the monorail with enough pressure to offset the payload of the vehicle plus any vehicle weight that could be safely displaced. the vehicle would then be riding on rubber tires as well as the steel wheels, reducing friction and improving fuel efficiency.

this idea is in its infancy. i am interested in collaborating with people and/or companies interested in building a prototype and testing feasibility. currently, there are trucks that use air bags to engage extra sets of wheels when the truck is carrying a load. this idea is a similar concept; however, the wheel would be made of steel and would be located in the center of the axle. i believe this concept has potential to greatly increase fuel efficiency as well as reduce tire wear and road maintenance.

photo credit to futureatlas.com.

you drive to a restaurant, you wait for a table, you sit down at the table, you look at the menu, you order, your food arrive and you eat. little did you know but the activity of dining requires a lot of energy and excess amounts of oil. yes, oil. it’s an obvious fact that you are using up energy when driving to the restaurant, but it is not so obvious when you’re indulging in a sirloin steak. many restaurants are becoming more energy conscious and are taking initiative, by the simple act of giving up their vegetable oil waste! now you may ask, what good is left over vegetable oil? well for starters, chefs use a ton of oil to cook with and they need to dispose of the waste. the problem is you simply cannot throw that amount of excess oil away and you can’t wash it down the drain either.

this is where the greenlight biofuels company comes in. employees of greenlight schedule a routine pick-up with restaurants. the employee physically comes and extracts the container of oil (which range from 100 to 400 gallons). the oil is then transported to their facility in prince ann, maryland. this is where their machines convert the oil into biofuel. biodiesel is a renewable substitute fuel for diesel engines. many states have issued a mandate to make use of biodiesel. cars and buses can run on this alternative energy source. so the next time you are eating a sirloin steak, remember that the oil the chef used to prepare your meat with, is actually the fuel that is powering your car!

video produced by – jordan petitt and samantha lafer of team #thinkfwd

do not accelerate to red lights. bad driving habits, people who tailgate, untimely lane changes contribute to traffic congestion, which causes smog, bad air, inefficiency,wasted time and wasted fuel. smooth traffic flow helps all. you do not have to build anything. promote the idea as a massive transit system in their own vehicle. as we move into the future, control traffic will be part of our transportation system. let us start now acclimating the public. research studies on traffic in different parts of the country can be done by various groups to prove the idea.

william wheeler

learn more about ecotech fuels and its mission to transform waste into fuel. the idea earned ecotech a nomination in planet forward’s april 2011 pbs special, “the energy of innovation”.