To: Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition .................. Memorial Day Weekend is coming and -- in spite of gas prices -- more Americans than ever are planning to getaway by car. (1) But that doesn't have to cost as much as you think. There are lots of ways to save gas (checked your tires lately?) but the easiest and most effective way is to slow down (just a little bit). When you add up the savings, it's like getting paid to relax. So before you get behind the wheel for the upcoming holiday, show us what you're made of. Pledge to Drive 55 (or whatever the speed limit is on the roads you're traveling) for Memorial Day Weekend. Poor _Sammy Hagar can't do it_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=K0EE88vsX0xIF2X7I0EUBw..) , but we bet you can. After all, even jets are slowing down to save money! (2) The Union of Concerned Scientists tells us that dropping from 70 to 60 mph improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17.2 percent. Dropping from 75 to 55 improves fuel efficiency by 30.6 percent!(3) Put another way, in a family sedan, every 10 mph you drive over 60 is like paying 54 cents per gallon more for gas you bought at $3.25 a gallon. (4) That extra cost is even higher for big SUVs and other less-efficient vehicles. And the time you save by going easy on the accelerator may not add up to as much as you thought. On a 300-mile trip, driving 65 instead of 70 mph would cost you only 20 minutes -- but save money and spew less carbon. _Take the Pledge_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=MLlaQD-R7muoxlV-dnimcA..) ! Learn about _other ways to avoid a "pain in the gas"_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=LvJfbgitA5VeS7uPoLDU3A..) when it comes to getting from here to there.
Is driving to your destination more fuel-efficient than flying? _Take our "How Green Is My Getaway" quiz_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=ro80sPmCebsJ6gRc-aNa9g..) . You might be surprised. Our April 29 post about driving the speed limit in our Green Life blog led many to share the wisdom of their personal road trip experiences. _You can read all of them here, and share your own_ (http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=W8WDiDX9DvZx3nq9EyFsQQ..) . Have a great Memorial Day,
Greg Haegele Director of Conservation, The Sierra Club
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