At select gas stations across the United States, escalating gas prices have already soared to $4 a gallon. The high price of gasoline has forced many people to avoid unnecessary driving trips and to pinpoint creative alternatives to car travel. 

But some are already in the driver’s seat when it comes to saving big on gas – online students. And not surprisingly, they also help the environment at the same time!

E-Learners Save Gas

Instead of attending traditional colleges that require frequent drives to a nearby or far-away college campus, e-learners opt out of expensive trips to the gas pump by studying at home or at work.  These distance learning students register for classes, purchase books, utilize library resources, watch live or archived lectures, communicate with instructors, and turn in assignments — all from the keyboard of a computer.

In addition to cutting back on gas, e-learners may rack up extra study time because of the driving time they save!

E-Learners Help Save the Environment

The Sloan Consortium reports that almost 3.5 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2006, with a growth rate of 9.7% from the previous year. Even if half of these students had chosen to take an on-campus class instead, the additional 1.75 million cars on the road would contribute to increased air pollution, diminished oil resources and greater traffic congestion. 

The effects of automobile pollution on the environment and on our health have been well-documented. Yet those who enroll in online classes are doing their part to help the environment just as surely as those who:

• recycle paper and plastic, 
• use less water,
• turn off unnecessary power to conserve energy,
• use rechargeable batteries, and
• use energy-efficient household appliances.

The benefits of online classes keep piling up; and saving gas and the environment are just the tip of the iceberg. But the bottom line is that an accredited online school provides an excellent education; and those who are planning a return to school should consider this win-win situation. 

distance learning, e-learning, online school, accredited online degree, gas prices, save the environment, conserve energy, save gas

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As another Earth Day passes into history, many of us have pledged to remain alert for new ways to conserve energy. If you are like me, you have already exchanged most light bulbs for energy-saving flourescents, you recycle as much as possible, and your daily showers are not as long as they used to be. But what else can you do?

Those who are considering a return to college can help in another way: take online classes.

Online education helps to conserve energy by saving gasoline, especially in trips no longer needed to a college campus, and particularly for those trips that are a significant distance away. Imagine the positive environmental impact that would occur if hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of students decided to drive less and study online.

Give it some thought. Online classes generally require more discipline; and you will probably have more frequent personal contact with your professor. So it is not easy to ‘wing it’ in these classes. But if you are motivated to set goals and work to achieve them, you can further your education and help save the environment at the same time.

online education, conservation, Earth Day

Popularity: 26% [?]

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