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Earth-Friendly Driving

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We all know how harmful carbon emissions can be to the environment. So, instead of filling your tank with traditional gasoline, try using one of these alternatives to reduce your carbon footprint.

There is no denying the impact that our technologies have had on the planet. While they have made our lives more convenient, they have also resulted in a huge amount of carbon emissions, which are the leading cause of global warming. One of the main contributors to our enormous carbon footprint is our heavy use of automobiles, as they burn up fossil fuels that pollute the air and release loads of carbon.

Although our traditional vehicles running on traditional gasoline can further affect the environment, there are several ways to be more Earth-friendly when driving to your new home. By choosing special gasoline, buying or renting an energy efficient car, or hiring a moving company that uses green methods, you can have a greener move.

Ethanol

Perhaps the easiest change you can make is to start using gasoline supplemented with ethanol, a type of alcohol. Ethanol is made from sugarcane, corn, or potato plants, and it is a renewable resource that can be added to gasoline. Many gas stations across the country offer gasoline consisting of 10% ethanol. In fact, certain states and cities require that all gas stations sell only gasoline that contains ethanol.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel fuel is made from either vegetable oil or animal fat that is chemically reacted with alcohol. The resulting substance can either be mixed with regular, petroleum-based diesel fuel or used on its own. This fuel can lead to reductions in carbon emissions, deforestation, and pollution. If using a professional mover, find out if the company utilizes biodiesel fuel. If you plan on moving yourself, make sure your vehicle can run on biodiesel; many types of cars can’t do so.

Did You Know?
Biodiesel can be processed from several plants (soy, mustard, flax, sunflower, coconut, and hemp), animal fats (rendered from cattle, pigs, and chickens), and algae. Oil from restaurant deep-fryers can also be recycled and made into biodiesel.

Compressed natural gas

Although compressed natural gas, or simply CNG, does emit greenhouse gases, it is a cleaner and more environmentally friendly fuel source than gasoline. It is made by compressing natural gas to 1% of its original volume. It can then be used in internal combustion engines that have been specially modified to run on both gasoline and CNG. More and more cars are now being manufactured with engines that are already capable of running on CNG.

Vegetable Oil

Unlike biodiesel fuel, which is a combination of vegetable oil and gasoline, vegetable oil by itself can be used as fuel for certain vehicles. In order to run on this clean and sustainable resource, the vehicle must have a diesel engine. Also, it has to have a vegetable oil fuel converter in order to successfully operate on this fuel source.

Hydrogen fuel cells

Vehicles running on hydrogen fuel cells produce almost no pollution at all. A hydrogen fuel cell is a device that creates electrical energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Rather than giving off greenhouse gases, hydrogen fuel cells have only heat and water as byproducts. Vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cells run cleaner, quieter, and more efficiently.

Electric vehicles

Some vehicles can be run on electricity rather than using other fuel sources. They utilize an electric motor for movement rather than an internal combustion engine. Though these vehicles can run solely on electric batteries, most models of electric cars also contain an internal combustion engine for gasoline as backup, in case the car runs out of electricity.


When getting ready for your move, make sure you look into each of these options and determine which is the most viable for you. As you might not what to purchase a vegetable oil fuel converter for your car, it can be a lot easier to just rent an electric hybrid car or choose a moving company that uses biodiesel fuel for its trucks. By making this decision, your move will be a lot greener before you even start packing.

Adam Mandelbaum  Posted by Adam Mandelbaum on January 11, 2010

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