How To Green Your Car

What’s the Big Deal?
Cars are one of the great mixed bags of our time. They are at once wonders of engineering and a threat to life on Earth. They create convenience and comfort and also snarled traffic and sprawling suburbs. In the US, about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from cars and light trucks like SUVs, contributing to climate change, air pollution, and disease. If you are truly trying to lighten your environmental footprint, the first thing to do is ask if you do in fact need a car. If the answer is yes, there are many things you can do to make your driving life greener.

1. Drive a green car

There are now hybrids to match almost any need: two-door, four-door, SUV, luxury sedan. They get better mileage than their conventional counterparts, have cleaner emissions, and save money on gas. If a hybrid isn’t in your future, try for a car with the best MPG you can find; and remember that hybrids aren’t always the most efficient option, either. Biodiesel can now be found in almost any state in the US. This clean, domestic, veggie-based, carbon-neutral fuel will run in any diesel car or truck with little or no modification to the engine. Straight vegetable oil is an option for the more ambitious green driver and can make fueling up almost free. Another veggie fuel is ethanol, and there are between 5-6 million flex-fuel vehicles already on the road—you may even be driving one and not know it. Also, affordable, practical electric cars and plug-in hybrids aren’t too far off, either. But whether or not you drive a hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicle, there’s lots you can do to green your car right now.

2. Best practices

Driving technique has a lot to do with your fuel economy. Avoid sudden starts and stops and go the speed limit.Not only does speeding and herky-jerky driving kill your MPG, it’s dangerous. And even if no one gets hurt in a fender bender, how green is it to get a new bumper or have your car re-painted? As a general rule of thumb, keep your engine speeds between 1,200—3,000 RPMs, and up-shift between 2,000—2500 RPMs. Also, drive wise and minimize unnecessary miles by doing errands in one trip, getting good directions, and calling ahead.

3. Stay in tune

Getting regular tune-ups, maintenance, and having clean air filters will help you burn less gas, pollute less, and prevent car trouble down the line. Pump up: if every American’s tires were properly inflated we could save around 2 billion gallons of gas each year! (Check your manual for optimal pressure). Lastly, get the junk out of the trunk! All that extra weight is sapping your fuel economy.

4. Car minus the carbon

There are many services out there now that can help you calculate your yearly emissions from driving and offset those greenhouse gasses through various means. Check below for a few carbon offset opportunities.

5. Carpool

Of course. Find coworkers, neighbors, and fellow students headed the same direction. Start with one shared trip per week. Also look into car sharing programs like FlexCar and ZipCar.

6. Leave the car at home.

For shorter adventures, walk, take public transit, ride your bike (regular, electric-assisted, or something fancier [http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/bluevelo_velomo.php]), skateboard, rollerblades, or even look into an electric scooter. Carrying groceries or other bulky stuff can still be done on a bike with a backpack or some slick modifications. Check out the Xtracycle, for example.

7. Drive part of the way

If getting where you’re going by bike or public transit alone isn’t going to happen, consider driving part of the way and then jumping on public transit or your bike (a folder would be perfect). A great way to beat traffic!

8. Easy on the AC

Use the windows to help keep the car cool. Or try an electric or solar fan. Parking in the shade and using a reflective windshield shade can keep your car cooler when parked, meaning it takes less to cool it off when you get back in. If you car is new, however, let it air out. That new car smell is not friendly stuff.

9. Telecommuting

Drive less with the wonders of working from home (or internet café, treehouse, Mojave desert, etc.) With instant messaging, video chat, teleconferencing, and other world-flattening technologies, making the rush-hour trek to work and back might not be that necessary. Ask your boss or offer your employees a teleconferencing day once a week. Hey, it works for TreeHuggers and 44 million Americans.

10. Aspire to carlessness

Not everyone is going to be able to do it, at least not cold carkey. It will probably entail a shift in thinking and some time, but living carfree might be more within reach than you think. Living closer to work and school is a big part of it. Walking, biking, public transport, car sharing, car borrowing, and teleconferencing are a strong arsenal of tools to help reduce the need for a car. Give it some thought.

Green Earth Fuels

Green Earth Fuels hosts the Official Opening Ceremony of its Galena Park processing and distribution facility.

Texas Governor Rick Perry Joins Project Officials and Guests for Official Grand Opening

Green Earth Fuels hosts the Official Opening Ceremony of its Galena Park processing and distribution facility today at 2:30 p.m. The biodiesel facility is located within the Galena Park Liquids Terminal, owned by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.

Greg Bafalis, Green Earth Fuels president and chief executive officer, remarked, As the nations newest leader in helping energy companies integrate renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value biodiesel into existing distillate product offerings, we are delighted to officially open this facility - one of the nations largest biodiesel production plants.”

Biodiesel is derived from select natural plant oils and animal fats. Compared to petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel significantly reduces air emissions, complies with strict low sulfur mandates, and can be used in diesel blends with no modifications or infrastructure changes. Biodiesel supports the U.S. farm economy, improves regional and national energy security, expands tight fuel inventories, and reduces America’s foreign oil dependence.

Typically blended with petroleum diesel for use in diesel vehicles, biodiesel is the fastest growing alternative fuel in America. U.S. biodiesel production more than doubled last year to an estimated 225 million gallons. According to the National Biodiesel Board, the industry intends to replace five percent, or three billion gallons, of the country’s petroleum diesel by 2015.

Green Earth Fuels is unique to the industry in its dedication to supporting a national biodiesel infrastructure that is safe, sustainable, progressive, and commercially viable - all critical components to widespread adoption of alternative fuel sources,” remarked Governor Perry. “I am pleased to support the maturing biodiesel industry and this state-of-the-art facility, particularly as biofuels play a progressively critical role in protecting America’s agricultural economy and national energy security.”

To date, the Green Earth Fuels facility in Houston has produced and shipped more than 2.4 million gallons of fuel, with all of it meeting stringent ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) specifications. The company has expansion plans for three additional refineries underway at sites in key coastal locations.

The quality and ratability of our biodiesel production have solidified Green Earth Fuels leadership role in the U.S. renewable fuels marketplace,” said Bafalis. With our Houston facility up and running in full production, new processing facility projects currently underway in bi-coastal locations, and a vertically integrated business model that represents end-to-end production of environmentally clean biodiesel, our team is fully committed to continuing to meet the rigorous scale, quality, and logistics requirements of our energy industry customers and becoming an integral and vital link in their renewable fuel strategies.”

Construction on Green Earth Fuels 90 million gallons-per-year (mmgpy) Galena Park project began in 2006. Green Earth Fuels first process line, capable of producing 45 million gallons per year of quality biodiesel, went into commercial operation on July 24; the second process line moved into production October 1.

The facility utilizes Green Earths proprietary design which focuses on producing ratable and high-quality biodiesel. A $100,000 on-site fuel-testing lab, managed by highly experienced Green Earth technicians, closely monitors biodiesel quality throughout every step of processing to ensure that all of the product will meet ASTM requirements before third-party certifications are performed, and that only high quality biodiesel is allowed to exit the plant.

Green Earth Fuels also invests in the development and production of new feedstock crops, and adheres to best practices farming of current crops to promote feedstock sustainability, maximize processing benefits, and minimize environmental impacts.