Getting Ready for Earth Day: Greening Your Car

[Ed. note: This is the second post in TreeHugger's series featuring easy, high-impact ideas and tips to help you get ready for Earth Day. Stay tuned for more!

Though TreeHugger doesn't advocate driving, we realize that it's still the way that many people get around every day. Whether you're a daily commuter or a weekend wanderer, there are lots ways to green your car use, beyond taking the bus, hopping on your bike or simply not climbing behind the wheel as much.

1) Going the speed limit is the "single most immediately effective thing you can do" and it doesn't matter if you drive a hybrid sedan or an SUV: the benefits are immediate and massively propagating.
2) Proper tire inflation reduces rolling resistance and improves your gas mileage; some say inflating with nitrogen makes tires leak more slowly, and some say it doesn't matter.
3) Take action with Pump 'Em Up if you're looking to get active and help others make their cars green(er), and see where you compare (and add your two cents) with what our readers are driving.
4) Gadgets like the solar-powered car vent can help keep you cool without having to flip the switch on the A/C and further tax your engine and reduce gas mileage.
5) Beware: new car smell is toxic and air quality inside cars is often worse than outside. See where your car ranks and learn some tips for keeping toxics to a minimum in your car's interior.