Scientists have worked out that it takes an acre of trees a year to absorb the carbon dioxide of a car driven 8,700 miles. How many trees does your family need to take up the carbon dioxide made from your driving? Ask your parents how many miles they each drive per year. If they don't know you can write down their mileage and check again a week later. Then multiply that by the 52 weeks in a year. The national average is about 12,000 miles per year. That's over an acre of trees per year needed to absorb the carbon dioxide, per car, on the road. That's a lot of trees!

Now that you know how many trees it takes to absorb all the carbon dioxide from driving, it makes sense to drive less. This will also save money on gas. If the place you need to go is not too far from home, try walking. Walking is also good for you. Riding a bike is good, too, for both saving gas and getting exercise. It's also faster than walking. Always follow safety regulations and wear a bicycle helmet when riding. Ride bikes with friends to get to places, but also because it's just fun to ride!

If the place you need to go is too far to walk or bike, look into public transportation. If your town has buses or trains, get to know the schedules and see how they might work for you. Ask one of your parents to ride the bus with you to a place you plan to go. See if you are comfortable riding a bus. Try it with a group of friends. It's a lot easier than having your parents find a parking place sometimes.

Another way to save on driving is to collect the errands you have to do and make one trip for all of them. Keep a list of the things that need to be done in town, at the grocery store, or at the mall. Try to drive only once for a whole bunch of errands. Carpooling with friends is another good way to save on driving. But don't keep your driver waiting. Idling engines use a lot of gas!