[OKC] The Green Lantern: Pump for the Planet; Which brand of gas station should I use on my road trip?

[Miles, Karen]

the green lantern

 

Pump for the Planet; Which brand of gas station should I use on my road
trip?

 

By Brendan Borrell

 

Posted Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at 7:21 AM ET 

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I'm getting set for a long summer road trip with my friends. I know we
won't be doing the atmosphere any favors by driving cross-country, but
we'd like to limit the damage as much as we can. Does it matter where we
stop for gas along the way? Is one brand of pumping station better than
another?

 

It's true that driving coast-to-coast is going to produce some heavy
carbon emissions, but there are some ways to reduce your impact on the
environment. You can save energy, for example, by keeping your windows
closed-and your A/C on-as you coast down the highway. When you stop to
refuel, don't bother getting high-octane gas if your vehicle isn't
designed to use it. And, as you suggest in your question, try to avoid
the pump stations run by the world's nastiest corporate villains.

 

No fossil fuel company has a clean record when it comes to the
environment. Drilling, transporting, and refining oil produces massive
amounts of greenhouse gas. The industry also pollutes the air with soot
and other chemicals, and as we've seen in recent weeks, companies like
BP end up releasing tons of hazardous waste into oceans and streams.
Even so, some companies are more diligent about their environmental
responsibilities than others. Activist groups have made an attempt to
rank the major oil companies according to their records; see, for
example, the lists compiled by Greenopia, Sierra Club, and the Better
World Handbook. While Greenopia's list is the most up-to-date, it
includes both the ubiquitous "supermajor" oil companies (like ExxonMobil
and Chevron) and smaller refiners whose gas stations might be harder to
find. To simplify things, let's separate out the big and the small, and
focus on the two metrics that should be first in your mind when you're
about to fill up your tank: the amount of oil spilled by each company
and the amount of CO2 emitted per barrel of production.

 

Article continues at URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2251727/ 

 

 

Copyright 2010 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC

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