Teen Drives On One Tank Of Gas For Entire Summer (VIDEO)

20-year-old Danni Brancaccio vowed to drive the entire summer on one tank of gas. With 238 miles and 55 days behind her, the Portland, Oregon teen has alternated between her 1997 Honda Civic, the public bus and walking.

In her blog the Northwestern University junior reflected on her summer goal.

So today was both day 7 and the final day of my zero miles goal. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and in order to make it there on time I used my car. It was a short distance, about 2.5 miles, and it was necessary for me in this situation. Using my car to get to my appointment reminds me of what my challenge is about. Driving more slowly, using cruise control, making the car's tires are properly inflated, and not letting the engine idle are all ways to take a tank of gas and stretch it farther. So in addition to my biking and busing, I hope to continue to drive responsibly throughout my challenge.

Watch Danni's interview with Fox News.

Comments

[oropesav]

This story is largely a lie.

I wish the truth would be spoken about this story. The truth is that this story is a HUGE LIE. This girl is using less gas this summer. What she isn't doing is using only ONE tank of gas this summer. I read the articles and saw the specials on TV. She is riding buses and getting rides from friends and family and all the while consuming someone's fuel.

She is doing something good but not something so spectacular as driving for an entire summer and only consuming a single tank of gas.

[TheMunson]

According to a quick look at my bank statement, this summer I purchased a tank of gas June 11th and then again on August 3rd which was a span of 54 days and 219 miles. If only I were a smidgen less lazy or tried to drive on fumes one more time and taken the time to keep a blog about my normal driving habits, you mean I coulda been on the TV?

Seriously, how is this news?

[Puzzles]

What did this kid do to elicit such venom you people. So some of you didn't have a car till you were 60, or you rode your bicycle blah blah blah. Well in my day we walked 10 miles to school through the blinding snow with ice cubes tied to our testicles. And we liked it.! Geez, the kid is becoming environmentally aware and making and effort. Hell, she got Fox news to portray inflating tires as a positive thing! That in its' self is worth it.

[mamacat]

I have neighbors who brag that they don't care how expensive gas or diesel gets, they are not going to allow the cost of fuel to affect their driving habits. At least this young person is aware of her behaviour and is trying to do something constructive about it.

As for comparing the price of taking public transportation with the price of gasoline used in a trip: remember, it isn't just the price of the petrol that has to be considered. The price of the car, its upkeep, insurance, and the cost of parking, amortised over the total miles driven over the lifetime of the car, adds a signifigant amount to the cost of every trip taken. Thus, even when the cost of public transport and the cost of petrol used in a trip are the same, it is still cheaper to take public transport.

[CrzyRussell]

You also left off the time factor. What is my time wasted on public transit worth? It take me 12 minutes to drive to work. The bus takes over 1 1/2 hours. Plus it's rare to have 24/7 public transit so what do I do on the off hours?

[nickaster]

You've gotta be kidding me. I didn't have a car for FOUR YEARS in college and I never even thought it was much of a big deal. The fact that this is considered remotely newsworthy underscores how badly screwed this country's infrastructure is.

[Mathias]

I parked my truck for 3 years and rode my skateboard everywhere. I could go six miles to work in 45 mins. did that everyday. People just need to change their laziness.

[Karin Kloosterman - Huffpost Blogger]

I fail to see this story as "news." If Danni wanted to do something miraculous for the environment she would ditch her car altogether and get all her college friends to do the same. But that probably wouldn't interest Fox. By the headline, I imagined a young genius had invented a new fuel cell, not discovered the bus.

[athenasword]

The point is that she is aware of her behavior and her personal impact on the environment. And, she translated that into effective change. She may be young, but she is modeling for all of us the kind of changes we need to make as a community. I think it makes a great news story. Especially when so many people are arguing that we just need to drill our way to a new future.

[jOke]

i concur..

[donorman]

You you have a car? Take the bus?
If this had been on MSNBC, you'd be writting "Bravo".

EEEDIOT!

[KillTheMessenger]

Wow... I did not use to have a car until a few years ago and must have traveled a couple hundred thousand miles in my life on public transportation. Do I get a medal now?

[wagadog]

Excuse me?

Since when is it a right and a requirement that teens even have a car?

I rode my bicycle & took public transport until I was well into my 20's. This includes rural Ithaca and suburban Long Island. For crying out loud, I even lived in Los Angeles for a year without a car!

This is stupid.

[drkazmd65]

Good point wagadog,.. I didn't get my first car until I was a Junior in College, and even then I pretty much only used that car to get back and forth to my parents' house on holiday breaks.

Iiving on campus I rode my bike, took the local bus service, or walked everywhere. I grad school - except the one summer I lived in a trailer home on a field station ~10 miles from campus, I did the same.

It is stupid. But not because of the girl doing it. It is stupid because Fox made a big deal about it being 'weird'.

[sink]

Seriously? "Breaking News"??

[songbird1268]

This is Fox News we're talking about. Of course it's "Breaking News."

[OldKnute]

Well,, I see now. Good for her. She is looking for all ways she can reduce her use of fossil fuels.

Staying fit and getting around.

Well, good for her.

I think kids have the idea. There are always 6 kids in a car.

They do Car-Pooling all the time.

Yeeeeeee!

This is wonderful.

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB

[BlackbirdHighway]

I'm not sure I would call riding the bus "driving on one tank" since she is not actually driving.

More noteworthy is is Sherry Boschert from Plug-in America. She has driven over 60,000 miles in the past six years, and in all that time has not bought a single drop of gasoline. She just plugs in her RAV4EV to charge it up. You can even use solar panels to supply the electricity.

[personalpolitical]

So what? I've used even less than that. Did she seriously get on the news for this?

Oh wait, it was FOX, not the real news.

[realityczech4u]

What is your favorite brand of news?

[wolfgangmo]

Try the CBC or BBC. At least they have journalists employed at their networks rather than meat puppets.

[drkazmd65]

Good for her,... but it is a lifestyle I couldn't live, and that most Americans can't live at this stage.

My wife only tanks up about every 2 weeks, but run through about 15 gallons/week with my commute. I already drive a car with an EPA estimate MPG of 32mpg, but that through careful driving, changing my driving style, keeping it tuned and properly inflated get about 40-41mpg.

I walk to grocery stores, shops & resturants from home when not commuting, so does my wife.

We all have to do our part - and I am glad to see that she does. But this is not news.

[EinChicago]

At $3 a pop on a bus, she probably spent a lot more than if she drove.

[oceanofink]

the bus in Portland is at most two dollars and five cents (that's 2.05$)...
you can get quite far, quite fast, (what with light rail here also)

Different metropols are different, (I'm guessing you're in chicago)
but the more people use the bus,
the less each individual person will have to pay...

[EinChicago]

So at 2 fodollars per pop, she has still likely spent much more than on a few tanks of gas.

Either way, not really an achievement. I didn't use a single tank of gas until I was 23 when I bought my first car. I didn't make a news story out of it. I currently drive a whopping 100 or so miles per month and can go 2 month son a tank of gas easily. Again, not seeing a news story made of this either.

[Exusian]

It's not about the money spent getting there, it's about the amount of carbon burned getting there.

Until a price is put on that carbon, some people just will not get it.

[realityczech4u]

Correct. Tax me, oh please tax me into that blissful state of awareness. Impoverish me so that I may not succumb to the human vices of greed and selfishness and thus damage thee, thou sacred orb.

[EinChicago]

"It's not about the money spent getting there, it's about the amount of carbon burned getting there."

To a very small degree. To the majority of people after this energy spike, it is now all about teh money. It was probably the cleverest strategy the oil co could have done. Almost every single person who was on the fence about climate change prior to the gas price spike is now actively hostile to any change that will require more expensive energy.

[wolfgangmo]

Portland - $1 a pop and that includes unlimited transfers. Plus they have a huge fare free zone in high density areas.