We all know that carpooling is great for the environment. Fewer cars on the highway mean less carbon emissions and a happier planet. But did you realize that carpooling is also a boon to your wallet? In these difficult economic times, carpooling may be just what you need to reduce the hefty monthly expenses that come with owning your own car.

Many people are resistant to carpooling. It requires effort and coordination: a schedule must be set, rules must be made (and followed!), and costs must be shared evenly across the group. With gas prices fluctuating wildly on a daily basis, this may seem like a burdensome task. After all, morning commutes are stressful enough! We want to eliminate daily complications in our lives, not add to them.

Luckily, state governments are stepping up to make carpooling as easy for the commuter as possible. They have created "Vanpools", which enable large groups of people to share a ride to work in 12 to 15 passenger vans. This service is particularly helpful in areas that do not have extensive public transportation systems. Vanpools use databases to connect people who have compatible work schedules and commutes.

Rather than a community-effort (with the neighborhood "Dagwood" making you late for work every day), Vanpooling is a business, and it runs with all the efficiency and reliability that you would expect from a professional service. Each person who elects to join a Vanpool is screened, and all passengers are required to follow a set of rules, such as not talking on the cell phone during the commute, which benefit everyone on board.

Vanpooling has its costs: each passenger pays a monthly fee that goes to gas and maintenance of the vehicle. Each passenger must also take a turn as the driver and be responsible for the vehicle after hours, parking it in his or her own driveway or paying for a parking spot. But ultimately the time and money required to participate in a Vanpool is nothing compared to the daily wear and tear that your car is subject to if you drive yourself to work.

Compare a $700 a month average for the private commuter (includes maintenance and gas costs) with the $300 fee for using a Vanpool. The savings are major.

If you want to join the trend, simply go to MyCasualCarpool or your state's department of transportation to find a Vanpool near you.