You’ve stumbled across this blog – so you know all about the drive to make the world greener.

It would be fair to say that some industries are being targeted more than others, and automobile companies certainly fall into this category.

Of course, the onus isn’t just on the manufacturers of vehicles themselves. As a vehicle user, there is plenty you can do.

Some regions have tried to take this into their own hands by implementing various green initiatives onto the roads. This has resulted in some really good benefits as well, and the fact that states fare so differently from a green perspective perhaps says it all.

Here are the greenest cities in the United States and how they achieved their rank:

 If we now return back to actionable tips for typical drivers, let’s jump into some of the key changes you can make in your life that can help make your city the greenest in time.

The importance of your initial purchase

Unsurprisingly, green driving starts before you even own a vehicle. In other words, your choice of car is crucial in your sustainability attempts.

In an ideal world, you should be buying a vehicle that’s as modern as possible – but not necessarily new. As we all know, there are plenty of perils with buying brand-new cars, but if you can keep things as modern as can be you will find as though your vehicle at least doesn’t pollute as much.

Be conscious of temperature control

Sure, we’re by no means suggesting that you should swelter in your car, but at least stay conscious of your cooling mechanisms.

For example, when it comes to driving with the windows down, this is something that can heighten the chances of drag occurring.

Unfortunately, things don’t get much better with air conditioning as well, with this being something else that uses more fuel in your vehicle.

Sometimes, less is more

This next point can be contentious, but give us time.

There have been some really interesting debates on whether or not you should fill your vehicle with a full tank of fuel. The premise behind this concept is that with more fuel, your vehicle is going to be heavier. Then, the heavier it is, the more fuel it will consume. In other words, it is a vicious circle.

Granted, in most cases the savings are going to be tiny, but if you happen to drive a large vehicle then some studies have suggested that it can be worth your time.

On the subject of weight…

We’ve just touched upon the weight of your vehicle in the previous section, but it’s worth adding to this point.

Fuel is of course not the only factor when it comes to this topic; there are all sorts of others. For example, those of you who have roof racks have an obvious problem, as does any large piece of luggage.

In short, try and make your car as light as possible. In some cases it won’t be possible, but overall it will make a really big difference to your green efforts.