Exxon/Mobil
HQ? Dallas, TX
Where’s the oil from? Mexico, Canada, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Iraq
How much do they spend on alternative energy? They’re not talking
Environmental record? Exxon will forever be linked with the notorious Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989 when 11 million gallons of oil marred Alaskan reefs and waters.

BP
HQ? London, U.K.
Where’s the oil from? Canada, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Angola
How much do they spend on alternative energy? $600 million
Environmental record? BP was the original bad boy of the oil biz; however, a recent makeover means that BP is now the most transparent of all the oil companies with real efforts to support alternative energy and improve social responsibility.

Wanna know more? Read the full report from Good Magazine here.

]]> http://www.thegreenparent.com/2008/07/20/how-green-is-your-gas-station/feed/ 12 http://www.thegreenparent.com/2008/02/01/election-2008-how-to-green-your-vote/ http://www.thegreenparent.com/2008/02/01/election-2008-how-to-green-your-vote/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:52:00 +0000 Jenn Savedge http://www.thegreenparent.com/?p=103 Just how green is your favorite candidate? Check out these fast facts to learn where each candidate stands on the top eco-issues currently under debate.


Hillary Clinton

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050

Renewable Energy: Proposes $50 billion 10-year fund to invest in renewable energy. Aims for 25% of U.S. energy to come from renewables by 2025

Fuel-Economy Standards for Cars: Supports fleetwide standard of 40 mpg by 2020 and 55 mpg by 2030

Coal:

Proposes a “phased-in” requirement to require new coal plants to trap and store carbon emissions. Supports “clean-coal” technologies that produce fewer emissions than conventional.

Nuclear Energy: “Agnostic” regarding nuclear power
Barack Obama

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050

Renewable Energy: Proposes $150 billion over 10-years in investments in renewable energy. Calls for 25% of U.S. energy to come from renewables by 2025 and 30% of the federal government’s electricity to come from renewables by 2020.

Fuel-Economy Standards for Cars: Supports standard for cars of 40 mpg and light trucks of 32 mpg by 2020.

Coal: Would consider a moratorium on new coal plants unless they trap and store carbon emissions as long as this moratorium does not slow the construction of new plants. Supports “clean-coal” technologies that produce fewer emissions than conventional.

Nuclear Energy: Supports nuclear power

John McCain

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Coauthor of the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, which would reduce emissions 65% by 2050. Supports a cap-and-trade system.

Renewable Energy: Supports renewables but does not have an articulated plan for investments or standards. Voted against a 10% standard in 2005 and a 20% standard in 2002.

Fuel-Economy Standards for Cars: Supports raising standards but has not stated a target.

Coal: Supports U.S. use of coal.

Nuclear Energy: Supports nuclear power

Mitt Romney

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Does not support a cap-and-trade system unless it is enacted globally.

Renewable Energy: Supports renewables but does not have an articulated plan for investments or standards.

Fuel-Economy Standards for Cars: Opposes raising standards and calls for “other steps” to make cars more efficient

Coal: Supports U.S. use of coal.

Nuclear Energy: Supports nuclear power.

Knowledge is Power

Need more info? Check out these sites for comprehensive info about each candidate’s environmental voting records.

League of Conservation Voters
Grist: How Green Is Your Candidate?

Need to Register?

It’s not too late! Click the link below to register and then get out and vote!

Change It: Change your car’s oil and oil filters regularly to improve fuel economy and keep things running smoothly. Most mechanics recommend that you do this every 3 months or 3,000 miles. If you do it yourself, be sure to recycle the oil properly and fill up your engine with clean recycled motor oil. Plug your zip code into the Earth 911 website to find a used motor oil drop-off location near you. If you take it in to a service station, make sure that they will do the same.

Loosen It: If your fan belt is too tight, your engine is working too hard and wasting gas. The belt should give a little to finger pressure when the engine is not running (make sure everything has had a chance to cool down.) If the belt is too tight, you can easily adjust the tension with a wrench, or mention it during your next professional tune-up.

Check It: Old, worn-out spark plugs can cost you as much as 2 mpg in fuel efficiency. If you know how to change them, do it. If not, take your car in for service.

Pump It: Keep tires properly inflated to reduce wear and tear on the tread and save fuel over the long run. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended inflation level (this number is also usually printed inside the door frame of your car). Under-inflated tires can cost you as much as 1 mpg.

Replace It: A clogged air filter will keep your engine from running smoothly, costing you roughly 1 mpg in fuel efficiency. Check your air filter regularly and replace it every time you change your oil.

Record It:

Keep a record of your gas mileage (by recording your mileage and the amount of fuel needed at each gas stop,) and you will easily spot when your gas mileage is slipping and your car needs some service…. saving you a fortune in gas over the long run.

Need more gas-saving tips? Check out the links below:

It’s A Gas
Dive Into A Carpool

More Americans travel over Thanksgiving than any other holiday. According to AAA, 37.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving, up 3.1 percent from last year. And while all of that travel is great for family bonding, it’s not so great for the environment. Here’s how to keep it green and still see your loved ones this Thanksgiving.

1. Take The Train: Traveling by train causes less environmental pollution than traveling by car or by plane. And just think…you won’t have to strap the kids into a car seat, worry about traffic, or have to navigate your little ones through airline security.

2. Get A Tune Up: If you are planning to drive, make sure your car is in tip-top condition so that you can maximize gas mileage (and make fewer painful trips to the pump). Make sure your tires are properly inflated to improve your fuel efficiency by another three percent. Click here and here for more info about driving green.

3.

Offset It: No matter how you decide to travel, offset your carbon emissions with companies such as GreenTags or Green-e. Carbon “offsets” invest in projects that absorb or prevent the release of carbon dioxide.

Photo courtesy of Elvis Santana

Eating locally is not a new idea, in fact, the opposite is true. When my grandmother wanted tomatoes in the winter, she reached into her cupboard and opened a jar that she canned over the summer. It never would have crossed her mind to order tomatoes from Israel for her holiday menu. Yet today, my local grocery store gives me access to any type of produce I want, regardless of the season or my locality. And this access comes at a hefty price to the environment.

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, “the vast majority of energy used in the U.S. food system (around 80 percent) goes to processing, packaging, transporting, storing, and preparing food.”

In 2001, the Leopold Center created a paper called “Food, Fuel and Freeways,” that tracked the distance that 30 items of produce travelled to get to the average Iowans table. According to the Leopold Center, “fresh produce transported to Iowa consumers under the current conventional food system travels longer distances, uses more fuel, and releases more CO2 than the same quantity of produce transported in a local or Iowa-based regional food system.” Check out the following graphic to see a summary of their results*.

So what does all of this mean for you and your family? It means that you need to think twice about the foods you choose to bring home from the store. Even produce that is grown organically will cause unnecessary environmental damage if it must be flown from overseas, or trucked across the country to get to your kitchen table. Here are a few great ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your next meal:

• Check out Sustainable Table for a state-by-state list of seasonal produce availability. It’s a great opportunity to teach your kids about the types of foods that grow in your area and the seasons they prefer to grow in.
• Talk to your school officials about the Farm To School Program that benefits local farmers while providing fresh fruits and vegetables to schools.
• Plan a 100-mile party with your friends; a potluck where you all bring dishes prepared with foods found within 100 miles of your home.

* Information for this chart is based on the weighted average source distance, a single distance figure that combines information on distances from production source to consumption or purchase endpoint. For these calculations, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service arrival data for 1998 were used to identify production origin (state or country). Distances from production origin to Chicago were estimated by using a city located in the center of each state as the production origin, and then calculating a one-way road distance to Chicago using the Internet site Mapquest (mapquest.com). Estimations do not include distance from the Chicago Terminal Market to point of retail sale.

Source: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, “Food, Fuel and Freeways” by Rich Pirog, Timothy Van Pelt, Kamyar Enshayan and Ellen Cook. Graphics by Matt Miller.

How much does your car weigh? Personally, I can’t answer this question except to say that my car is pretty darned heavy. That’s why I find it so disturbing with the findings from FuelEconomy.gov that “most vehicles produce several times their weight in greenhouse gases each year.” The amount of time we spend behind the wheel has a significant impact on the planet. So if you are ready to make a change that will really make a difference, consider organizing an office carpool. Carpooling is a fantastic way to save money, reduce congestion and save the planet.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each person that carpools saves 77 lbs of hydrocarbons (the nasty stuff that makes smog);

550 carbon monoxide; 33 lbs of nitrogen oxides; 9,900 lbs of carbon dioxide; as well as 500 gallons of gasoline every year.

Here’s how to get your carpool up and running:

• Find out what kinds of transportation benefits are offered by your employer. If they don’t have a policy established, talk to them about the government sponsored Commuter Choice program that works with employers to design commuting choices. Commuter Choice can work out a custom plan that takes into account tax incentives for any commuting benefits offered to employees as well as solutions involving flex-time, route planning, and van-pools.

• Seek out co-workers and friends who might be interested in sharing a ride. Don’t know anyone interested in carpooling? Find fellow commuters in your area at eRideShare or Carpool Connect.

• Once you’ve established your carpool, go over some Carpool Etiquette to make sure that everyone stays happy.

• Kick back, relax, and enjoy the guilt-free ride!

I spend a lot of time “eco-nagging” my daughters. Whether it’s “please turn off the light,” or “DO NOT stand there with the refrigerator door open,” I am constantly pestering them use less energy…a concept that I’ll admit can be somewhat abstract to children. A great way to teach kids about energy consumption is to turn the tables and let them teach you. Help your child give your house an “Energy Report Card”. Here’s how…

Energy Report Cards

For Toddlers and Preschoolers: At this age, the idea is to keep it simple. Download the free Home Energy Audit Kit from EarthCare and help your child identify the items in the pictures (of common household scenes) that use energy. Color the pictures and introduce the basic concepts. “When we turn the light on, we use energy.” Show your child how you turn off the light whenever you leave a room so that you don’t waste energy.

For Elementary School-Aged Kids:

Using the same kit mentioned above, take the concepts one step further. Look through the house together to identify the items that use energy (lights, TV, computer, cell phone charger, etc.) Now, see if you can find ways together to use a little less energy. Adjust the thermostat by a few degrees, unplug appliances that you don’t use regularly, replace burned out light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Check out HogBusters an online game where kids can learn more about the energy savers and wasters throughout the house.

Next, make sure your kids know just where all of that energy is coming from. The diagram posted below gives a good general overview of how this energy gets to your house. You can explore this site further to learn about the different kinds of energy and how they are produced.

For Tweens and Teens: Teenagers should already know what items use energy, but they may not be aware of how much that energy costs in resources and dollars. Surf with your teen over to Saving Electricity 101and scroll down the page to the Electricity Calculator. There you can look up the energy cost in dollars of most common household items (everything from coffee machines to X-boxes.) The idea is not to make kids feel guilty about using energy, just aware that the energy they use does cost money. Talk about the resources (fossil fuels or renewables) that are needed to create energy. You can also check out Home Energy Savers for a web-based home energy auditing tool that calculates your homes energy costs based on the averages in your local area.

Now that your kids know all about saving energy, turn them loose on their schools. A school “Energy Report Card” makes a great science project and can help schools save a bundle of money on energy costs. Oh, and don’t be surprised to hear a little “eco-nagging” as well. “Don’t put so much hot water in that bath, Mom!”

1. Go Slow: Stick to the speed limit and avoid excessive braking and accelerating.
   
2. Pump It Up: Make sure your tires are properly inflated (underinflated tires reduce fuel economy).
3. Clean It Out: If your car is like mine, it is a rolling closet, fileld with clothes, toys, books, strollers, and snacks. But all of that extra weight may cost money at the pump. The Department of Energy estimates that drivers can save anywhere between 3 and 6 cents a gallon just by removing unnecessary weight.

4. Go Cruisin’: Using cruise control, especially on long trips, can save you as much as 7 percent on fuel (according to Edmunds.com.)