GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

Transportation Tolls

Cars and light trucks consume the lion’s share of petroleum used for transportation in the U.S. Modest changes in efficiency and driving habits could add up to significant fuel savings.

Millions of barrels of petroleum used per day in 2006:

Cars = 4.9
Light trucks = 4.0
Medium & heavy trucks = 2.5
Airplanes = 1.2
Ships & boats = 0.7
Passenger & freight rail = 0.3

If we drive our cars 20 fewer miles each week, we could reduce their CO2 emissions by 107 million tons each year, a 9 percent decrease.

If we improved our cars’ gas mileage by 5 miles a gallon, we could cut their CO2 emissions by 239 million tons each year, a 20 percent decrease.

Source:"Saving Energy; It Starts At Home" by Peter Miller, National Geographic, March 2009