We have another reason to lose weight: According to research conducted by the University of Illinois-Urbana, losing weight can save gasoline consumption. The study revealed that Americans on an average weigh about 25 pounds more today than in 1960. Adding the extra baggage to cars results in an extra 1 billion gallons more of gasoline used per year. Losing the extra weight could provide enough fuel for 1.7 million cars, light trucks and SUVs for a year — as it helped the environment and resulted in better health.
Posted by Angie Holladay
30 Comments
Here is a good solution. ;)
http://www.kwcycles.com/imgs/kw-ph-type.jpg
Ok I can clean out he trunk and save 25 lbs of weight. Maybe I’ll take out the fire extinghuisher.
Angie!You are batting a thousand per cent. I don’t think you have written anything anybody cares about in several days. I am sure it is not your fault. You are working for people with demonstrated poor judgement.Lose weight to get better gas mileage? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZI’d rather talk about AIDS in China. That was a jaw dropping discussion.
Joe posted a really good solution. I’ve taken up cycling again recently, and have been having to navigate through some road expansions (two lanes expanded to four). It’s really too bad that they aren’t including bike lanes, or at least making the new roads wider than in the past to simultaneously accomodate cars and bikes. You can’t get people to ride bikes unless there are accommodations for riders.
Mopeds are big here in Hawaii, even though the drivers here are absolutely murderous. I want to get one when I eventually move back home…I’d rather spend my money on computer games rather than gas!I wonder why the moped trend never caught on outside of the “trendy” cities? Seems like a perfect solution, especially in Wichita where one can get everywhere without using the highways.
That’s too much. nice & intersting study. Saving energy resources through weight loss. little indifferent but looks true. anyways, you can read two relevant blogs of energy research at http://www.rncos.com/Blog/energy.html and healthcare researchg at http://www.rncos.com/Blog/healthcare.html which i found quite intersting.
thanks.
Personally, I would rather see a fleet of energy efficient buses; perhaps hybrid buses that goes anywhere in Wichita.
Anyone who has traveled to Berlin, Paris, London, etc has seen how efficient a bus or subway system can be.
Electronic ignitions, lighter weight metals/plastics, gas mileage standards were all supposed to give higher gas mileage.
Now they want me to cut back on my bierocks and spangles? I don’t think so!
Here’s an idea. Instead of someone sitting on their fat ass waiting 10 minutes in the drive through line at Starbucks how about getting out and walking inside? The loss of 10 calories burned while reaching for your 1000 calorie frappacino is a decent start.
JM, you’re right about Europe, etc., having great public transportation. But remember, it is just as subsidized as our highway system. We have chosen one person, one car, they are getting there, but you can still live in Europe and not own a vehicle. Your taxes are about the same as owning a car though.Ain’t no free lunch.
I love the subway system, everytime I go to DC it’s such an efficent, affordable way to get around the entire city. Wichita will probably never be big enough to do a it, but it would be great to have shuttle buses that drive from the surrounding areas into the city. In Mexico, everyone drives a moped. We should have more bike paths and encourage mopeds. That wouldn’t cost much and not only save energy, but cut down on pollution from car exhaust. Have you ever looked at the sky over downtown after the morning rush? One of my clients drives a little electric moped, it doesn’t cost him a thing, he just has to remember to plug it in to charge up the battery.There are lots of ways to save energy, we just need to start thinking outside the box a little more.
A bit of a different take on this. Our ’suburbia’ lifestyle is more unhealthy than true urban, small town, or country. The reason: how we get around.
In true urban we use transit. Thus we walk a few blocks to the bus pickup, across a concourse to the train, and then several more blocks to the office in the Loop. At lunch we walk several blocks to an eatery downtown. In the evening we might walk an additional couple blocks for a beer before getting back on the train. Then those blocks back from the bus at the other end. Not only do we get the exercise but we also get some ‘down time’ watching the scenery or whatever instead of fighting traffic.
Small town – walking and biking a lot more. Country – even more. Also in small town more likely to walk to shopping.
Our version of suburbia: I walk to my driveway and get in my car. Drive to the parking lot at my office. Drive to lunch or eat at my desk. So, I have the double whammy of inactivity and cussing at Kellogg drivers.
I am not pointing a finger at anyone else here – I am looking in the mirror!
I have just lost 25 pounds. @6 #/gallon, that is just a little over four gallons. Wow. When I lose the next 25, I may not have to fill up my Sonata more than once a month or so.
Ben,
“TRUE URBAN!?”
Ever hear of L.A.?
:)
Losing weight, save gas. This is true, since the more weight you have in the car means more stress on the engine which means more horsepower at the wheels which means more gasoline is spent at a faster rate. However, you can even save gas by not esceeding speeds over 55 miles an hour. Does anyone know why 55 miles an hour was the implemented speed limit imposed by the federal government? It’s because the faster you drive your car the more gas is burned at a faster rate. How you drive your car affects energy efficiency too.
Will – I lived in LA for a decade. Often took the SM Blue line to UCLA; otherwise biked. That said, LA is probably the worst example of ‘true urban’ precisely because it is really suburbia run wild. More comparing to Chicago (the Loop) etc.
My point still stands – I walked a lot more there than here – especially lunch time. The city is set up that way.
I remember 55; I also know that for many of us it is bogus. My car gets optimum mileage at a higher speed because of its gearing and its aerodynamics. But you are right – HOW you drive is important. Go to the old “egg on the accelerator” approach.
Actually, I applaud the automobile industry. -the Japanese in particular- for making affordable energy efficient vehicles. I mean, look at the Honda CRV which has a 4 cylinder engine modeled after the Civic chassis and you get an SUV which uses as much gas as a coupe.Now that’s optimal energy efficiency at its finest!
Ben,
What make and model?
Back then it was a 1971(I think) Mazda 616. I did a lot of up-and-down I-5 trips and was able to make good real-road mileage tests – came out best right about 65-70. Lower at 55. Currently a Honda Civic; haven’t done enough road trips to have calibrated it that way but get about 35 mpg at KS turnpike speeds (70-75)
35 mpg at 70-75mph? What year is your Civic? Well that’s true, once you factor in highway miles as opposed to city miles.
2001. Highway miles. I get about 32 in ‘city mix’ – but my mix is fairly heavy highway (Kellogg).
Joe Williams,
Bicycles are a great solution, get good miles per banana, fig bar, or whatever. Probably the most efficient means of transportation available.
Or… how about a Ford Explorer sized vehicle that gets the equivalent of almost 100 mpg. http://www.hypercar.com/
But we don’t want to build and drive Hypercars — it’d cut U.S. oil demand too much.
I just don’t like being unhealthy.
Ever since I joined the Marines I can’t stand being over weight or having much hair either :)
Well, Nathan, I don’t have to worry about that last part!
;^)
Let’s gang up on the fat ass city planers and demand accommodations for bicycles.I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE IN SAFETY.
Fat ass city planners? Ever been on 10th floor of city hall? I don’t remember seeing overweight people there.
Nathan – I’m surprised your or your dad hasn’t zapped me! ;^)
Remember, I am NOT bald – just follicle-challenged!
Walking is the one thing I miss the most since moving to the city from rural, follwed by small town. There are no sidewalks in our neighborhood, so walking in the street is the only option. The way people zoom down our narrow street, doing much walking is like a suicide mission. Although I will say that my oldest and her 4-year-old have walked the 3 1/2 blocks to visit on nice days.
We have done some walking to shop, but it’s tough lugging home a couple of gallons of milk along with other items.
Mary, I agree about the Metro in D.C. I took off on my own one day and made it to the Mall from the hotel without a problem. And it’s clean! That emboldened me to ride the NYC subway a few years ago by myself. No problems there, either, except for one scary incident. I won’t tell the story, because it would come off sounding racist, but it ended up being a pleasant experience. I admit that it was much nicer when traveling with someone else though.
Learning the NYC subway was a breeze. I became adept at knowing which train to take where. On the other hand, I still can’t figure out the Wichita bus system route.
Say, how many of us drive to go to the gym? Back at the WSU, I actually knew a few student-athletes living on-campus, i.e., the Wheatshocker Apts., who would actually drive their cars to go to the practices. I mean, couldn’t they use the short walk as a chance for pre-practice warming-up? Coaches need to crack down on these laziness!
This is a self-correcting problem. If gas prices keep going up, the majority of Americans will either be walking or starving!