tgrtranslation

Strategy 1 – Walk to work

Commuting on foot is healthy and good for the environment, but how much money can you save?  My commute by car would be 3.4 miles, round-trip. Walking is more direct. Subtracting the cost of sneakers (Brooks, carbon-neutral) and a backpack from the savings on gas and car insurance reveals a net monetary savings of $3.00 USD total a month. The carbon savings are significant, at 40 pounds of C02 emissions avoided per month.     

Costs:               running shoes: $100.00 x 1 over 12 months = $8.00 per month

                      LL Bean backpack: $80.00 x 1 over 12 months = $7.00 per mo.

Savings:                                                                     gasoline: = – $10.00 per mo.*

                                                                           car insurance: = – $8.00 per mo.*  Profit:                                                                                          =  $3.00 per mo.

Profit once backpack paid for:                                               =  $120.00 per year

* see breakdown, below

It’s good to know that efforts to save the earth can pay back a little in return.  Just please — don’t mention rent. 

Calculations breakdown —

*Gasoline calculation:  gasoline costs $4.99 per gallon.  Car gets 30 miles on one gallon, so uses 0.03 gallons gas for each mile driven.  0.11 gallons per day x 5 days = 0.55 gallons not used.  That’s about $2.50 per week saved, or $10.00 per month.  Since one gallon of gas is 20 lbs. of C02, choosing to commute 3.4 miles on foot also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 10 pounds per week. 

*Car insurance calculation:  savings on car insurance over one year amounted to $97.00 because insurer calculates cost based on miles driven per week.  Yes, GEICO charges me almost $100.00 less per year because of the reduction in mileage.  Divide that by twelve to get $8.00 saved per month.

Astuces pour économiser au printemps

Faire un trajet à pied est délassant et bon pour l’environment et la santé, mais combien est-ce qu’on épargne en argent et en carbone? Mon trajet en voiture serait 5,44 kilomètres. En comparant le coût de chaussures et sac à dos aux économies de pétrole et d’assurance voiture, je découvre un surplus de capital de $3.00 par mois. La réduction de carbone, par contre, est significative: 37 livres moins de dioxyde de carbone par mois.

• Calcul pétrole: à $4.99 le gallon dans une voiture qui fait 30 miles au gallon, on utilise 0.03 gallons le mile. 0.11 gallons per diem x 5 = 0.55 gallons épargnés. Ça fait $2.50 par semaine, ou $10.00 par mois. La réduction en carbone est de 11 pounds par semaine.