Going Green

My wife and I began commuting to work together last year when gas prices were at their highest. We just couldn't see driving two vehicles daily at those costs. We live in Macclenny, which is about a 35 mile trip for me to CSX and a 45 mile commute for her. We both took early shifts, and have time to pick up our daughter from school on the way home.

We also have done some things at home to improve our energy efficiency, such as using low energy light bulbs in all our main light fixtures. We added a timer to our hot water heater so it does not run all hours of the day. It comes on early in the morning and goes off in the evening which saves us on electricity. We also added a thermal insulation wrap around the water tank, so it rarely runs out of hot water even when the heater is off.

Last year we bought a vehicle with a four cylinder engine that qualifies as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV). The car has about the same pollution emissions as a hybrid. With a light foot and a little planning we average about 30 miles per gallon on the 75+ mile round trip -- which is nice!