One Trip, One List

Do you have a cell phone ? I think at this point, EVERYONE has a cell phone which they keep attached to them. One of the many great features of a cell phone is the notepad; you can use the notepad as a shopping list. If you have not started using your notepad as a shopping list, START TODAY !!! Most people are attached to their cell phones so when you think of something you need you can easily write it down. If we keep one big shopping list and pick ONE DAY in the week to do our errands it will help the environment.

According to the http://www.ucsusa.org website, it states, "Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all U.S. emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas."  Global warming is real and we have to come together and try to help the environment in any way we can. Therefore we should try to drive less and a great way to drive less is by running our errands in just one day a week.

One trip, one list is a great way to help the environment; create a shopping list on your cell phone, write down items you need. Then pick ONE DAY out of the week to go run your errands. The great thing about having the list on your cell phone is you can't forget it !  Also if you think of something, you always have your cell phone around or with you so you can quickly write it down.

Before going on your trip Google Map your trip and see if there are any shorter routes you can take to the stores you need to go to. Living in the same town for years makes you feel as if you know ALL the routes and the best routes to get to the stores you need to go to but if you Google Map them you may be surprised. Therefore Google Map your trip and see if there are shorter routes to your destinations. According to the website, theverge.com,”Google Maps is making it a whole lot easier to find out exactly how far apart any two (or more) points are on a map. As of yesterday, you can now right click anywhere on Google Maps on the web and choose "measure distance" to bring up a digital ruler that'll tell you just how far away its final point is.” Therefore Google Maps is a great way to check the best shortest routes to take to your destinations. If you use GPS while driving, try to use the shortest routes they offer. Shorter trips help the environment because you are using less gas. Also shorter trips helps your wallet because you are paying for less gas. Therefore shorter trips are the way to go !!!

Another great tip, is try to run your errands with friends. Shopping is fun but shopping with friends is even better !! If you decide to run your errands on Sundays  contact your friends on Thursday or Friday and tell them that you are going to run errands on Sunday, tell them what stores you will be going to and ask them if they need to go to the same stores. If they do, then you guys can take one car and do all your errands together ! Every little bit counts and having one or two less cars on the road can go a long way if you decided to do your errands with your buddies. By deciding to carpool just one day a week, the traffic on the nation’s major highways and roads would be reduced by about 20%. Also by carpooling just once a week, 800 pounds of greenhouse gases can be kept out of the air each year (http://www.1800234ride.com).

This is a great way to help the environment and reconnect with friends.

Happy Shopping !!!

Sources:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/9/5885065/distance-measurement-tool-added-to-google-maps

http://www.1800234ride.com

http://www.ucsusa.org

Image:

http://www.countymarketcouponnews.com/2012/04/make-grocery-list.html