High-tech electric and hybrid vehicles are all the rage right now. But you don\’t need to shell out big bucks for a new “eco” car if you give your own driving habits an environmental tune-up:

• Learn how to drive as efficiently as possible. Take note of these gas-saving tips and driving techniques and you\’ll visit the pump less often. Plus, you\’ll save $20-$50 a month on gasoline.
• Recycle your car once it has reached the end of its life. Don\’t send your vehicle to the junkyard before you\’ve looked at this list.
• Carpool and use mass transit as much as possible. When you share the ride, you reduce your costs – and your impact on the air your breathe and the water you drink.
• Use a car-sharing service such as Zipcar, which may eliminate the need to own a vehicle altogether. It has certainly helped me!
• Walk, bicycle. Well, these are more “non” driving tips, aren\’t they? But they do help you guzzle less gas; and manufacturing a bike or a pair of walking shoes uses far less resources than producing a car!
• And remember: if you are in the market for a new car, choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the size that will meet your needs. Visit FuelEconomy.gov to find the best available option for you.

Diane MacEachern Author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and conservationist

Diane MacEachern, the author of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World, is passionate about empowering women to use their marketplace clout to protect the environment.