I drive a bright red Dodge Durango. I love everything about it, from the color to the way it sits up high to the way I can drive around 7 of my closest friends at any time. In fact, there is only one thing I don’t like about it, and that is the fact that it consumes more gas per mile than I do cups of coffee per day. Lately, with gas prices soaring, I have been faced with a life-altering decision. I can either drive my pretty red ‘Rango or I can go shopping.

After contemplating the pros and cons of each, I decided that shopping was way more rewarding, and that shopping online would save me gas all in itself. Then, I got to thinking about things that can be done to save gas (and money) and help the environment at the same time.

My first idea was to carpool. The best way to reduce gas usage is to simply reduce how often you drive your car. If you are working this summer, ask around to see if anyone you work with lives nearby and would be interested in carpooling. If you are going to school this summer, try taking public transportation or even walking to school (or work). If you need to run errands, do them all at one time and try coordinate them within a few miles of each other.

If you have a gas-guzzler like mine, try renting a more fuel-efficient car for long trips or offer to pay your share for gas if a friend with a smaller car would be willing to drive. If worst comes to worst, and you really want to save money on gas all while helping the environment, look into buying a hybrid car or maybe even one that runs on vegetable oil!

We all love shopping and we all love the environment. While you are cruising around in your SUV, think about shoes you could be buying and ozone layers you could be saving.