The Correct Way to Dispose of Green Bulbs

Green bulbs are only green as long as you follow the instructions on them from start to finish. These bulbs contain a small amount of mercury and if improperly disposed of can have a negative impact. This means these are only green bulbs as long as you dispose of them by delivering them to a recycling center specifically set up to deal with them. In this way, the mercury can be recaptured and re-used, rather than becoming a hazardous material leaching into the ground through multiple landfills. If you do not know of a center near you, you can visit www.earth911.org and type in CFL along with your zip code. This will give you information about the collection centers in your area. If there are no collection centers in your immediate area, you may want to get a secure box, (A plastic cat litter box with a lid would make a good choice), and store your used up bulbs in there until you have gathered enough that would make a trip worth while.

Manufacturers of these bulbs understand the dangers of the mercury contained within them, and that even the smallest trace of mercury leaching into the ground is too much. With this in mind, the manufacturers are conducting studies on how to minimize the mercury content. Until then, it is the responsibility of the purchaser of the product to dispose of them in an environmentally conscious fashion. On another note, if you break the bulb, clean it up carefully so you don’t expose yourself or your family to the mercury contained inside.

The Greenest Way to Fill the Tank

We all dislike those trips to the gas pump because we know our wallets are bound to suffer depletion from the visit. There are ways you can help reduce the depletion, get better gas mileage and reduce the visits.

Gas is more condensed in the early, cooler hours of the morning. The cooler it is, the more condensed the gas will be. If you fill your tank in these hours of the morning, you will get a little more for your money. Also along those lines is, fill your tank at the slowest setting on the pump. The slower you fill your tank, the less air bubbles are created and the more gas you get. You also have the benefit of making less gasoline vapor to disperse into the atmosphere.

Wait until your gas tank is virtually empty. This will save you money by reducing the weight the engine needs to haul around, it cuts down your side trips to the gas station and it reduces the amount of gasoline vapor that escapes from your tank every time you take the cap off.

Many people believe they are doing their cars a favor by keeping them at least half full. That all the contaminants in the fuel settle to the bottom of the tank and this practice will leave the contaminants undisturbed. If you believe you are getting that much contamination, you should change the gas station you fill up at. Running the tank low should not hurt the vehicle, but put less stress on the engine.

Tax Credits For Fuel Efficient Vehicles

In an effort to keep the nation going towards more green thinking, the government has put together a tax incentive in the form of a tax credit in order to encourage new car buyers to go green. These incentive amounts are different for different vehicles. In the beginning of the program, purchasers were able to obtain full tax incentives for all of the different qualified vehicles. This program began in January of 2006, in April of 2009, the incentive amount dropped to fifty percent of the original amount and in October of 2009 it will drop down to twenty five percent of the original amount. Full phase out is set to happen April of 2010, meaning any of these vehicles bought after that date are no longer eligible for a tax incentive amount.

If you are wondering what the difference is between a tax credit and a tax deduction, a tax deduction will reduce the amount of income that you are taxed on. Meaning if you had a taxable income of $50,000.00, and you had deductions worth $2,000.00, your taxable income would drop down to $48,000.00. A tax credit reduces the amount of taxes you owe. This means if you owe a total of $10,000.00 for the year and you purchased a vehicle that gave you a $2,000.00 tax credit, you would owe taxes in the amount of $10,000.00

Reducing the Fuel Economy

As we’re all aware fuel prices have gone through the roof. It’s important to know what our fuel economy is in order to save ourselves money, energy and the environment.

First and foremost, the biggest being dependence on oil.  Over half the oil we currently use in the U.S. is imported.  Congress has recently passed legislation to decrease dependence on oil by increasing standards on new cars and trucks to 35 MPG by the year 2020, thereby reducing petroleum use by 25 billion gallons by 2030. Currently the solution to this problem lies in progress of developing creative new energy sources that replace petroleum cleanly and cost effectively. Currently, you can help reduce dependence by choosing a vehicle that uses less gasoline, driving sensibly including planning well and combining trips, and keeping your car in good shape.

Second, helping reduce the climate change. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Cars account for 26% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. It’s amazing, each gallon of gas you burn creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, with the average vehicle emitting about 7 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Finally, one we all love, saving money. By choosing a vehicle that gets 30 MPG over a car that gets you 20 MPG you’ll save $610. Over a period of 5 years, that same car will have saved you approximately $3050! With that kind of savings, you’re on your way to saving up for your next car.