Earth Day occurs each year, and is the one day that everyone across the country tries his or her best to help save the planet. Although it's only one day in the year, that one day can and does go some way towards changing attitudes and opinions to the environment and to the way in which we can minimize our impact and our carbon footprint. Each year, several stores give away "green" products that help conserve energy and almost every major corporation around decides to air commercials urging the residents of the world to reduce the amount of energy consumed.

While these celebrations are occurring all around the world, people are looking for more ways to make a permanent impact for the good to save the planet. Each year, millions of cars are manufactured. These additional cars add more smog to the air, as they continue to use outdated petrol engines and burn fossil fuels. With all of the additional cars that are produced each year, there is also a surge in the number of hybrid vehicles, which is leading to a revolution in the car market as more and more buyers turn to more environmentally appropriate methods of getting from A to B.

Each year this surge in hybrid vehicles provides more drivers with the opportunity to do their part at cleaning up the environment. While the ability to help reduce the amount of smog in the atmosphere is always a great incentive, the cost of the vehicles is also quite prohibitive for the average car purchaser.

The government is already well know for dabbling into the mortgage industry by offering home mortgages that are insured by the government at special reduced rates to help families qualify to own their own homes. If the government branched this idea of thinking to the automotive industry imaging the results that could be realized in a few short years, with increased production capacities of these greener vehicles ultimately leading to less pollution and less damage to our environment.

For example, the way the government mortgages work now, the home purchased must be within a certain price range, and meet certain guidelines. If a similar program was developed that offered special discounts in financing charges for those consumers looking to purchase a hybrid vehicle, it would inevitably make the purchase more affordable and more desirable for families on tight budgets and looking to improve the environment at the same time.

The government would be able to insure the vehicle loans, which would reduce the expenses, associated with purchasing the vehicle, and make it much more affordable for a larger majority of drivers. With programs looking to assist those in purchasing more environmentally friendly vehicles, it would make the dream of car ownership more affordable for many.

By helping consumers purchase more energy efficient vehicles, there is a reduction in the amount of gasoline and oil consumed, as well as a decrease in the number of vehicles that are adding to the pollution problem. To assist the program in starting it would be possible for the government to decide upon one specific day when the government subsidized loans for hybrid vehicles.

Assuming the program is successful, which there is no reason to suggest wouldn't be the case, then the government could expand the program to help more consumers purchase environmentally friendly vehicles, as well as help preserve the planet one car at a time. Many people do not realize how long it takes to make up the difference in the expenses between a hybrid car, and the price of gas. If often takes driving a hybrid car for 5 years or more in order to be able to break-even on the expense of the hybrid car, but by using subsidies we can help what is already a dire situation and start to actually improve the environment in which we live. By using government-sponsored programs to help reduce interest rates, it would be possible to realize savings sooner.