Four pounds per square inch = four million gallons of gas

While reading through Nick's new site The Big Green Help, I ran across several kids making a difference in helping our environment. All of them have great ideas, but one stood out to me because of the simplicity of the solution. A young Florida girl created a website called Pump 'Em Up, which encourages people to constantly check their vehicles' tires. Her name is Savannah, and she's an Arctic National Wildlife Refuge protector in Florida. Savannah started this website when she realized we waste 4 million gallons of gas per day with under-inflated tires. Yes, I said per day! That's ridiculous.

I'm so impressed by these kids. When I was their age I thought it would be cool if Voltron and Optimus Prime joined forces to beat the Decepticons.

We're fortunate that our children are focused and concerned about the sustainability of our environment, and Pump 'Em Up has a way for your children to participate as well. Right now. Check out their handy-dandy worksheet for a fun math exercise your kids can do; they'll learn exactly how much gas can be saved by keeping tires at the proper pressure.

Kudos to you, Savannah! Below are some tips and tidbits from Pump 'Em Up:

With properly inflated tires...

• Americans could save 4 million gallons of gas each day.
• Americans could save hundreds of dollars each year on gas and extend the life of their tires by 25%.
• Americans could all breathe cleaner air because we’d be burning less gas.
• Americans would be able to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge forever!

How to inflate your tires properly:

• Always use the pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. You can find this information in several places; in your car owner's manual, on the inside of the glove box door or posted on the edge of the driver side door.
• Use a reliable gauge. This is very important!
• For those of you who have radial tires, they are supposed to have a slight bulge in the sidewall at their proper inflation pressure.
• Make sure to check your tire pressure every month and especially before a long trip or pulling a heavy load.
• To get a true tire pressure reading, check the tires when they’re cold -- when your vehicle has been idle for at least three hours.

*Information gathered from the US Dept. of Energy, US Dept. of Transportation, Michelin, Firestone and Goodyear websites.

As always your feedback and comments are encouraged. What have you found to be interesting or not so interesting? I want to hear your thoughts and how you and your family are making a difference.