The Driving Journal

I was playing with the carbon-footprint calculator at www.climatecrisis.net and I discovered that I can go from Average to Lower than Average by driving 8000 miles a year (in the car I own) instead of the 15000 US average. So I did some "ciperin'":

15500 miles on odometer
/ 58 weeks I've owned and driven the car (bought new)
=267 miles of driving per week on average

Whenever you read tips on how to reduce your impact, the first one is always "carpool". So I used the Google Pedometer site to figure out how long my commute to work is.

15 mile commute
x 5 work days per week
= 75 miles of commuting

Which means that 28% of my driving is to and from work daily... and 72% of my driving is ???

One of the first things you read when you're trying to get your money under control is "keep a spending journal." (Your Money or Your Life, How to Get out of debt, Stay out of debt, and live prosperously) This journal is described as some kind of paper on which you track every penny you spend. I'm not compulsive enough to enjoy doing this for long, but I have found it helpful in bringing mindfulness to my spending.

So, in that spirit, I am now keeping a Driving Journal -- Every mile I drive with the purpose next to it.