Cruising around in the latest hybrid may be the most visible demonstration of how eco-savvy one is, but the mom-reviewers at Mother Proof know there are other ways families can go green on the road without buying a hybrid.

“Making an environmentally friendly decision with your car doesn’t have to stop or start with buying a hybrid,” Mother Proof’s chief mom Kristin Varela said. “In reality, there are a lot of other car-related ways to contribute to a greener lifestyle.”

Keeping it Clean and Green

There are several eco-conundrums associated with washing your car, ranging from water waste and energy consumption to the harmful chemicals and cleaning byproducts that get washed into waterways. There are environmental pros and cons both to washing your car at home and doing so at an automated car wash.

Either way you go, Mother Proof offers the following tips to minimize your environmental impact:

At home

• Estimates indicate most people use 50 to 150 gallons of water when washing a car at home. Reduce your water use by using a waterless car cleaner like Eco Touch, Biokleen, No-Wet or Lucky Earth.
• Consider using a biodegradable soap, like Dr. Bonner or Castile, that doesn’t contain phosphates.
• Wash the car on the lawn to recoup some of the water runoff.

At a commercial car wash

With energy prices on the rise, car washes are reducing expenses by being more conservative with their resources. Not only is this good for their profits, but it reduces their eco-footprint. Choose your car wash with these factors in mind:

• Find out if the car wash reclaims or recycles its water.
• Does it use eco-friendly soap?
• Has the business reduced or eliminated the amount of time its dryers run?

Pooling Together

One of the more obvious ways to help the environment -- and save some cash on gas -- is by carpooling. The higher gas prices get, the more popular this practice becomes, and new online tools are making it just as easy.

“Carpooling isn’t a new concept, and many families have carpools in place for school and kids’ activities,” Varela said. “However, with rising gas prices, parents are looking at other trips that can be shared.”

Divide the Ride is a website that offers free online carpool planning created by parents, for parents. After registering with the site, users input their carpooling needs, compare schedules with families of their choosing and get on with sharing the driving workload.

Ridester is another carpooling service that allows registered users to either offer a ride or search for a ride at no cost. If a match is made, Ridester.com collects a $2 ticket fee on the rider's payment and a 9.5% processing fee on the driver's asking price. The site offers a great transportation solution for college students coming home for a visit and other long-distance trips.

Sharing and Caring

Mother Proof also recommends exploring car-sharing services. One service, Zipcar, is a shared-vehicle ownership company that provides members with flexible car use, allowing them to pay by the hour or by the day. Participants simply reserve a car for whatever period of time is needed (online or over the phone), pick it up from its designated parking space, use it for their assigned time and return it to the same parking spot. Gas, mileage within a certain range, maintenance and insurance are included in the fee, which starts at $9 per hour in most markets.

“For two-car families that rarely use both cars at the same time, car-sharing services offer a way to cut back to one car,” Varela said. “In addition to reducing emissions, becoming a one-car family can make a huge difference in the family budget.”