May was Eco Driving Month, a month to spend making smart decisions for the environment when it comes to our commute habits. With gas prices continuing to increase and people continuing to move further and further from the workplace, the daily commutes across the nation are forever increasing. Not only do our long commutes affect our wallets, they also effect the environment. Since 1960, the number of miles driven every year by Americans alone has tripled. Meanwhile, the fuel economy of passenger vehicles  is in many cases decreasing causing greenhouse emissions to rise. Fortunately there are actions we can take in order to keep our environment and our wallets happy.

In the past decade or so, much headway has been made by companies implementing work-from-home options or shortening the work-week to four days. Unfortunately, excessive employee commuting still remains. Some common ways to make for a more eco-friendly commute is to walk or bike to work. Obviously this isn’t a viable solution if you reside 30 miles from your place of employment, however walking or biking to public transit is an option as well. Carpooling with co-workers is another great option for making your commute more eco-friendly.

Another great way to make your vehicle more eco-friendly, which is often over-looked, is to keep your vehicle maintained.  By keeping your vehicle properly maintained you are increasing the efficiency of it. Here are some things you want to make sure are being serviced on a regular basis:

• Oil
• Tires
• Fluids
• Belts
• Air conditioning
• Spark plugs
• Fuel system
• Brakes

Making sure these items have been maintained and repaired will help keep your vehicle running the way it was designed to. A local auto repair shop can change the oil, service the brakes, inflate the vehicles tires,  and performs any other preventative maintenance you may need. Some local repair shops even take the time to send you reminders to help ensure your vehicle is running as efficiently as possible at all times. So next time you pull that seat belt around your chest, prepare to back out of the drive way and head to work, call your auto repair shop to be sure your vehicle is running efficiently and eco-friendly.