Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources formed over the course of millions of years from the buried remains of life-forms such as plants.  These resources are better known as oil, natural gas, and coal.  Fossil fuels provide our nation and the world with a huge proportion of its energy demands but since they are non-renewable, they will eventually run out.  We depend on fossil fuels for a number of things.  They are used to generate our electricity, power transportation systems and byproducts from oil processing are used to produce plastic which we use in one way or another every day.  Additionally, we depend on fossil fuels for commerce when shipping goods by truck or cargo ship.  While this type of energy source is widely used, fossil fuels carry significant environmental and health implications in the form of air and water pollution, environmental degradation, and global warming.  For instance, fossil fuels are harmful when they release emissions into the atmosphere when burned for energy, spilled into our oceans, and made into a solid waste which contaminates our soils.

Although conserving fuel is not limited to your choice in automobile or your driving habits, here in South Florida we do a lot of driving so it would be beneficial to concentrate on reducing fuel use by driving efficiently or just driving less.  Living in South Florida more often than not requires the use of a car to make trips to work, school, the grocery store and so on.  Since Fort Lauderdale was developed at a point in time when personal automobiles already played an important role in people’s lives, the street network was designed with the automobile in mind.  We are a car-dependent society that has created and faced the repercussions of urban sprawl.  Our car-culture subsequently produced an environment that is difficult to navigate without a personal automobile and is neither friendly to the pedestrian nor cyclist.  The City of Fort Lauderdale is making efforts to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to travel our roads with the hopes of getting people out of their cars and in turn reducing fuel consumption and vehicle emissions.  The Complete Streets initiative undertaken by the City aims to create connected and safe infrastructure designed for people-centered mobility.

Reducing fossil fuel usage decreases the effects of climate change, reduces oil dependence costs, increases energy sustainability and saves you money.  Making changes in your daily routine to reduce your fuel consumption at home, work or school can be easy!  Click on the tiles to find out more about efforts you can make to reduce fuel consumption.