1. Ride a Bike.
An amazing amount of fuel is wasted driving to areas within a few miles of our homes. Riding a bicycle is a clean, healthy, inexpensive, and convenient way to commute short distances.
Links: Xtracycle - sport utility bikes and kits!
REI's fully equipped Novara Transfer commuter bike
Bikewebsite.com - repair guides and other information
San Luis Obispo rideshare bike info
2. Public transportation
We can save an incredible amount of resources by sharing rides, taking public transportation and getting out of our cars whenever possible.
Links: Bay Area Transit
SLO Regional Transit Authority
3. Electric Cars
This technology is coming along quickly and electric cars are becoming commercially available. The most exciting right now is the Tesla roadster, an all-electric sports car that goes 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, has a top speed of and a range of 250 miles!
Links: Who Killed The Electric Car?
Electroauto - convert your car to an electric commuter capable of 70mpg and up to 100 mile range for $9,500 - $14,000
DIY Plans - Multiple types of 2, 3, and 4 wheeled electric and hybrid vehicles that you can build yourself, including the "El Chopper", a highway speed electric motorcycle for under $3500 in parts.
4. Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a hydrocarbon made from plant oil. It is renewable, CO2 neutral, emits no sulfur and has minimal emissions, and can be used without any or with very minor alteration to any diesel vehicle including cars, trucks, agriculture machines, trains, and generators.
Links: The S.E.E.P.'s Home Biodiesel Diary
The Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial
Mapmuse Biodiesel Station locator
5. Vegetable oil
Used or new vegetable oil can be filtered and will run in any diesel engine as long as it's hot enough. There are engine modification kits that will allow your diesel vehicle to run directly on vegetable oil. There are other 2-tank systems that start the vehicle on diesel or biodiesel, using your coolant system to heat up the oil, then switching over to biodiesel when it is up to temperature. These kits are fairly easy to install for the do-it-yourselfer and run from $600-$1500.
Links:
Conversion kits: Greasecar, Frybrid, Golden Fuel Systems
Greasebeast portable filtration unit
6. Ethanol - Corn ethanol, as promoted by the Ag industry and Bush administration is bad. For every 1 gallon of fuel you use, you only yield 1.3 gallons of ethanol. In addition, you are using food for fuel and need agrochemicals and fertilizer also made from fossil fuels. Cellulosic ethanol technology is coming along well, wherein agricultural waste such as wood chips, husks and stalks are fermented into fuel and will likely be an excellent addition to our alternative fuel quiver as efficiency improves. Ethanol is hydrophilic, making it difficult to transport through existing infrastructure and there is a 10% loss in fuel economy.
Flextek - Convert your dino-gas car to ethanol.
Homebrew Ethanol - U.S. regulations for permitting
7. Live closer to work
8. CO2 Offset your Travel - Carbonfund has vehicle, and air travel ClimateTags, as well as thier standard home, individual, family, and gift CO2 offset programs.
