Subaru has long espoused green policies, going so far as to make their facility in Lafayette, IN the first auto manufacturing facility with no landfill waste. As they put it, the average daily trash of the typical American family is more than the entire plant sends to landfills with their zero-tolerance reduce, re-use, and recycle policy.
The Japanese car maker also offers an entire line of cars meeting the PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle) standard, that also qualifies for California's SULEV (super ultra low emissions vehicle) certification.
Now Volkswagen is getting on the green car bandwagon as well. Oh, they've offered their BlueMotion line (offered primarily in Europe), which features low emissions diesel engines, for almost a year now, but in a press release on August 30th they announced that they, too, are actively seeking to reduce the carbon footprint left by their cars.
To this end, they now offer a "carbon calculator" on their website, so that visitors can see their own carbon footprints, and they have joined forces with Carbonfund.org to offset a year of carbon emissions from every new Volkswagen purchased in the United States between the first of September, 2007, and January 2, 2008. After the initial year is over, owners will have the opportunity to continue their carbon offset at their own expense.
Carbonfund.org is a non-profit that tries to find solutions to stop or mitigate climate change. In partnership with them, Volkswagen will help reforest land in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in northern Louisiana. The valley, abbreviated as LMAV, is a wetland that has been taken over by farmland, and the estimated carbon dioxide reduction gained by planting trees there, in an area to be known as the Volkswagen Forest, is more than 372,000 tons. The reforestation project will also help the environment by restoring native trees to the area, providing a safe haven for local wildlife, and making the water safer and cleaner.
In addition to this carbon offset program, Volkswagen and Carbonfund.org will be engaging similar solutions during a vehicle test drive program at the Teva Mountain Games, and will also be working together on a "Clean Diesel" marketing tour, designed to educate consumers about Volkswagen's commitment to alternative fuels.
As for Subaru, they, too have environmental causes under their wing, including the Greensgrow urban farming project, and the National Gardening Association.
What does this all mean for the consumer? Only that thinking green has more to it than just greenbacks, and sometimes going neutral can be a step forward.
For several years, numerous nonprofit groups such as Conservation International have promoted becoming "carbon neutral." Becoming carbon neutral means a business or family or even a single individual takes steps to offset their own carbon emissions through various means, such as recycling, use of more biofriendly materials, planting trees, and others. A product such as Biofriendly Corporation's liquid fuel catalyst, which greatly reduces personal and company vehicle emissions, is the next logical move in becoming carbon neutral.
"Becoming carbon neutral is a vitally important step for any person or corporation," says Robert W. Carroll, Chairman and CEO of Biofriendly Corporation. "It is one made all the easier with Green Plus liquid fuel catalyst."
Numerous corporations, individuals and even some prominent entertainment acts have become involved in carbon neutral programs. Search technology giant Google, Incorporated has just announced a major strategy to be completely carbon neutral by 2008, including plans to maximize efficiency of data centers, increase use of renewable energy, offset emissions that cannot be eliminated directly, and leverage assets to make an impact beyond the business.
Green Plus is already being utilized in sizeable programs. The state of Jalisco, Mexico, which includes Guadalajara, the country's second-largest city, recently announced a major effort to clean up the state's air quality. The city of Guzman, Jalisco, has already adopted Green Plus for all city vehicles, and Guadalajara, along with three other cities in the greater Guadalajara metropolitan area, have also committed to the adoption of the product.
Added to petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline or diesel fuel, Green Plus greatly reduces the amount of environmentally-harmful emissions from automobiles, trucks and ships. In the natural course of fuel combustion, oxygen cannot completely penetrate the hydrocarbon molecule clusters within such fuels, hence hydrocarbon molecules are not completely burned. Green Plus slightly "unbundles" the clusters and complexes so that hydrocarbon molecules are more fully exposed to the oxygen. Since unburned hydrocarbons are the major source of harmful carbon emissions, environmental impact is substantially lowered, and in addition Green Plus results in more efficient use of energy within the engine.
Carbon neutral programs are the next important wave for corporations in preserving our planet, and Biofriendly's Green Plus liquid fuel catalyst can be a vital factor in such programs.
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