Buddy up in the car

Green New Year's resolution: Carpool at least once a week.

Want to save money and reduce stress? Share your commute to work a few times each week. With gas prices rising and traffic congestion crazy all over America, carpooling is a smart way to make your life easier and also be kind to the planet.

According to the National Household Travel Survey by the U. S. Department of Transportation, 90.8% of us drive to work during the week, and the average vehicle occupancy is a mere 1.14. Our commute averages about 12.10 miles.

But adults age 35 to 44 spend over 80 minutes each day in a car! Thanks to more solo drivers on the road, it takes longer to get anywhere. Surely a few of us can drive together, especially during peak commute hours.

Check out the real costs of commuting by yourself. Pretty high, huh? What if you cut out one day a week?

Try starting with Fridays so you'll begin the weekend feeling refreshed. Alternate who drives, and track how much gas money you save. Once you and your carpool partner get in the habit, add another day. Edmunds.com has useful tips for setting up a carpool.

This directory has links to online rideshare databases where you can find people to carpool with. You can even use tools like ZimRide or GoLoco to find carpools on Facebook.

The University of South Florida has a summary of the tax benefits available to commuters and employers. Large companies may have carpool programs already. If not, show your HR department this info. and help set up a rideshare list.

Want to go a step further? Try public transportation, or see how walkable your town is. Encourage your kids to walk or bike to school. Use a bike for your commute and errands.

Try living without a car completely. Sound crazy? Well, you'll save money, and you'll eliminate tons of harmful CO2 from the atmosphere. And you don't have to live in a big city either. I live in suburban California (notorious for poor public transit), and I've never had a driver's license or owned a car. I take the bus, walk, and carpool everywhere.

It's not the simplest way to live, but neither is having four kids or being vegetarian, which plenty of people do. When you don't drive, you have to plan some things in advance. But you're also freed from car insurance and registration fees, and you don't care about gas prices.

Just start small with a weekly carpool. You'll be surprised at how much you don't need a car on hand.