What have you done for Planet Earth lately?

In itself, having a car is not a good thing for the planet, but an Ozymandian monument to consumption. Yet, those of us trapped in the culture that uses cars can do things to make them a little more friendly to the environment and more efficient in terms of money and energy.

One simple thing is to simply adapt to the immediate need. My Subaru has crossbars on the roof. I don't need crossbars everyday—why not take them off when they aren't needed? They stick out from the profile of the car, creating more drag through the air and more work for the engine to push through the air, meaning more fuel burned, more money spent, more fossil fuel wasted, more resources mined, and more global warming.

It just takes a couple of minutes to take them off or put them back on, and a crayon to mark where they were. The result is several more miles per gallon—for me, 27 to 30 mpg, or about 10 percent better fuel economy.

Derek Wallentinsen

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