How to “Green” Your Old Car – Quick and Easy

If you have an older model car that does not have great fuel economy and a larger carbon footprint than you would like, what can you do to be environmentally conscience? Is the only option to go out and buy a hybrid or an electric vehicle? There is a simple method that allows you to be environmentally conscience, keep you current vehicle, and make a profit.

For every 112 gallons (424 liters) of gas that you burn through, one ton of greenhouse gas is produced. In the US, the average fuel economy is 20.3 mpg and the average 20-54 year old drives 15,000 per year. The annual carbon footprint of an average vehicle in the US is 6.6 metric tons.

How do you green your old car if it is just not practical right now to go out and buy a new car? With this new method, you can measurably counteract a vehicle’s footprint by making incremental investments in clean energy. The investments are similar to a CD at a bank. The cost of one unit of the investment or term deposit matches the cost of one ton of carbon dioxide. To counteract a vehicle’s carbon footprint of 6 tons, you would invest in 6 units. The money from these investments is dedicated to creating new clean energy and efficiency. (The IEA estimates that we need $44 trillion of clean energy investing by 2050 to counter the catastrophic effects of carbon pollution. The payback in fuel savings of that investment would be $115 trillion.)

At $40/ton for carbon dioxide an average US vehicle’s carbon footprint can be countered with just $240. This method, developed by Carbon Xprint, provides an opportunity to take measurable responsibility for your vehicle’s carbon footprint and you still have the $240 in an interest bearing savings account.

You can keep your old car, make a few bucks, and net the vehicle’s carbon footprint to zero.