"Smart"

Shopping Trips

Background Information

Shopping in a major use of cars in current American life. Often, shopping trips just happen without consideration for the miles traveled (vmt), gasoline used, and vehicle emissions. Preplanning a shopping trip can cut down on miles, gasoline, emissions, and save money with out replacing the number of stores visited or enjoyment of the activity.

In this activity, students will plan, implement, and evaluate a "smart" shopping trip to limit excessive driving.

"Smart" Shopping Trips

Student Activities

1. Journalizing

Work in a small team of three or four classmates.

Journal you next shopping trip (or another trip if you do not plan to shop during the next week) in your town. Where did you ask your parents to take you?

• Where did you go? Record the stores and their addresses.

• Why did you go to each store?

• Did any stores not have what you expected to find in them?
• What route did you take (which store did you visit first, second, etc.)?
• Using a town map, calculate the total miles driven. Verify by reading the car odometer at the beginning and end of the trip.
• Prepare a map showing your route.

Answers may be recorded on this chart:

• Total miles:___________________
• How much backtracking did you do?

2. Plan a shopping trip that will cut down on miles traveled (vmt). Include the same stores that you visited on your last trip.

• Locate your home and the stores on a map.
• Check for all backtracking that you did.
• Revise your trip to eliminate any backtracking.
• If you visited any stores for the same items ( without knowing where to find the items), phone ahead to find out which stores have the items. Include one store in your route and eliminate the others.
• Using a town map, calculate the total miles covered by the new shopping route.
• Add the map showing your new route to the map of your actual trip.

Plans may be recorded on this chart:

• Total miles:__________________
• How many miles did you eliminate?

3. Assess your new route.

• How may miles are saved by using a planned shopping trip?
• How much gasoline would be saved for each trip?
• How many times do you make this trip in a week?
• How much gasoline would planned routes save in a week? In a year?
• Assuming that your family is representative of a typical family in your town (divide the total population by the number of people in your family), how much gasoline would be saved in your town in one year by "smart" shopping trips?

Using a spreadsheet to make calculations, or record data on this chart:

Total savings in your town (population divided by your family size x your savings)

_____people/ _____(family size)= _____families x _____(your savings)

_____gallons= _____gallons

$_____= $_____

4. Follow your new shopping route.

5. How do you feel about the new trip:

• Which shopping technique do you prefer? Why?

• gas saved?
• money saved?
• time saved?
• stress level?
• loss of freedom?

• Which technique is more environmentally sound? Why?
• Which better satisfies your social needs? Why?

"Smart" Shopping Trips

Teacher Notes

As a result of this activity, students should recognize unnecessary backtracking in their shopping trips.

Through calculations, students will recognize that "smart" shopping trips can save gasoline and limit pollutants.

Through discussions, students may support each other in the acceptance of "smart" shopping trips.

Discuss with students the safety issue, i.e. fewer trips equals fewer accidents.

Other suggestions: have the students journal for one week including where they went and how they preplanned.

Interdisciplinary Approach: Environmental Studies, Language Arts, and Geography.