On Valentine’s Day, you express your love by sending flowers, by showing kindness and consideration, and by reflecting on who you love and why.

You do that on Car Free Day, too. Though in this case, the object of your love is your community, and instead of delivering roses, you don’t drive your car, or you share the ride.

OK, maybe that’s a stretch. But not a big one. Air pollution generated by cars is one of the leading causes of poor air quality and a major contributor to asthma, heart disease and climate change.

Driving also wastes a lot of time. According to Clean Air Partners, people lose 70+ hours a year sitting in traffic jams! Not to mention all that time we spend driving to and from work when we could be sharing a ride with friends and family or relaxing at home with those we love instead.

Going car free is just about the best way to show your love for the planet – and for yourself, your family and your neighbors, too. You can drive less, save some money, and make life better for pretty much everyone you love.

When is Car Free Day?

Car Free Day is September 22, and just like Valentine’s Day, it’s celebrated around the world, with more than 40 countries and 1,500 cities all committed to encouraging commuters to try something new and go car free or share the ride.

Clean Air Partners, our air quality organization partner, is encouraging you to drive less and has pulled together a terrific list of ways you can celebrate the day.

Making a change has never been this easy. Their ideas for alternative transportation options across the D.C. region can likely be applied to wherever you live, as well.

How to Celebrate Car Free Day

Take the Pledge – Join hundreds of other residents of the D.C. area in pledging to go car free. Taking the pledge automatically enters you into drawings for lots of great prizes, including gift cars to use at supermarkets, on the subway, at restaurants, and even a one-year gym membership.

Bike to Work – You’ll avoid traffic headaches and parking will be a breeze! Plus, you won’t need to buy gas. Here in the greater metro Washington D.C. area, you can put your bike on the subway, then bike from the metro to your job, or take one of the many bike paths available in northern Virginia, d.C. and Maryland.

Walk – If you walked to your destination two days a week, you personally would help remove 1,600 pounds of pollution in just one year. Plus, it’s good for your health. Burn calories, not gas! Use MapMyWalk to find your route.

Rideshare – Instead of driving your own vehicle, carpool with friends and co-workers. You’ll improve air quality, get to know people in your community better, and still do your part for climate change. If four people share a ride instead of each one driving a car, you’ve reduced your environmental impact by 75 percent! Use Commuter Connections to find a ride.

Take the Bus – Eliminating one car per household and utilizing public transportation can save families $10,000 per year. Use Car Free Day to figure out the nearest bus stop and the route that will get you to your job without much fuss.

Ride a Train – Urban and suburban areas often benefit from commuter trains that offer a great alternative to driving. Is Car Free Day the day you finally buy a train ticket instead of gasoline or a road toll?

Telework – Save time and hassle getting to work by staying home. Plus, work in your pj’s all day if you want to.

Tell the World – Whatever you do, don’t keep it to yourself! Pledge to go Car Free on #CarFreeDay and encourage your community to show some love to their community. Use your social media and the hashtag #CarFreeDay to brag about your good deeds to your friends, family, and colleagues on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Why Car Free Day is Better Than Valentine’s Day (Almost) appeared first on Big Green Purse.

But given its compact size (it seats four comfortably, five only if the person in the middle back seat has short legs), it’s not the vehicle you’d willingly use to pick up your daughter — and all her stuff — from college, the challenge I faced recently.

Fortunately, I’m a member of ZipCar, the car company that lets you rent vehicles by the hour or the day. ZipCar, whose motto is “Wheels When You Want Them,” is gaining in popularity because it makes using a car so cheap compared to owning one.  According to the company’s calculations, owning a car like a Ford Fusion can cost you almost $800 a month, once you figure in parking, insurance, vehicle registration, gas, maintenance, new tires, and other related expenses. Even if you drive a lot (though not every single day), you could be paying as little as $322 a month using a Zip Car. You can join for $50 a year

Using my zippy membership, I was able to rent a Honda Element for the 7 hours I needed to retrieve my daughter from school.  I simply reserved my car a day in advance, walked two blocks in my neighborhood, and found the car clean and ready to go. I swiped my membership card over a scanner embedded into the windshield. The car doors unlocked, and I found the key in the ignition. Off I went, easy as pie, for a little more than $11/hr.

I chose the Honda Element over a wide range of other options because it offered the most room for the greatest amount of gas mileage. I drove 242 miles on about a tank of gas, for an average fuel economy of around 22 mpg – not quite as good as the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV (which wasn’t an option, either at ZipCar or at any of the conventional car rental companies I checked), but better than most conventional SUVs. I filled the gas tank up using the gas card in the glove compartment, so it didn’t cost me anything.

Interested? If you live here or go to school here, you can rent a ZipCar. If your city’s not on the list, send the company an e-mail and let them know you’d like to Zip. They’re opening new locations all the time – maybe you can get them to consider your neighborhood. You can also search “car share” on the Internet to see similar options other companies may be offering in your community.

Thumbs up, ZipCar!

By the way, don’t miss these Big Green Purse tips on saving gas and choosing fuel-efficient vehicles.

The post ZipCar Comes to the Rescue (and Saves Me a Lot of Money)! appeared first on Big Green Purse.