Friday, June 21, 2013

Guest Blog - Guide to Government Incentives for Green Commercial Trucks

This blog post comes to you from Brittany Richards, editorial coordinator for Software Advice.

Have you noticed 18-wheelers on the road and wondered how much gas it takes to fuel them? Since I was young, I’ve always noticed big trucks and asked myself that question. Well, in my time as the editorial coordinator for Software Advice, a company that helps buyers review transportation management system technology, I’ve learned that it takes tons of gas (literally) to fuel commercial fleets.

For large companies that own or manage large fleets of commercial trucks, reducing fuel consumption is one of the most tangible ways an organization can positively impact both the planet and its profits. We frequently hear from buyers that are interested in technology to measure, analyze and (in-time) reduce fuel consumption across its fleets to bring down costs and help reduce overall consumption.

One way to greatly reduce consumption and costs is to combine this technology with the purchase of new, energy-efficient trucks. And thankfully, there are a number of government incentives to reimburse and reward companies for the purchase of green(er) vehicles.

However, it’s important to consider who qualifies for these programs. Many incentive programs commonly stipulate vehicle type, fuel type, state/region of operation, vehicle weight limit, fleet size and overall company revenue. In addition, the application for each type of incentive is nuanced, and each program has its own requirements.

To help buyers better understand the government incentive process, Software Advice contributor Janna Finch has put together a comprehensive guide that breaks down the federal, regional and state incentive programs and provides contact information for each program. In addition, the guide provides a quick, four-step process to help guide your application process. For more detailed information on these programs, check out the guide here.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

My sustainable home - kinda

It has been a dream of mine to have a home that was completely self sufficient. In that what we needed to run the house would come from the land itself.
Oh I was going to buy 10 acres of land - build a beyond eco house and become an advocate in my self affirming little home.
BUT - well lots of things happened. From not being able to get a building loan, to needing a home to live in, to a realistic evaluation of my time to "build" such home. SO... I know own a traditional home in the middle of town.

But the dream is not dead - there is so much opportunity in anyone's home to reduce your environmental impact - so the dream has been adjusted.
It has been a interesting journey to understand our impact as a family, what we have been able to change, what remains to be a challenge and what is in the pipeline.

WATER

Fortunately we live in a state that not only rains a lot, but one can capture your own water from your roof for use. The first thing we did was turn off the sprinklers.  They aren't needed 9 months out of the year. This alone along with our practices of full dishwasher, laundry, short showers and letting it mellow. means out water use is very low. In fact we don't come close to the minimum water charge on our bill thus paying only fees each month.

The next great project was putting in 3 - 50 gallon rain barrels off the south east side of the house. We were shocked to learn how fast they fill up - one rain storm and they were full. We use this water for watering trees and plants around the house.

ENERGY
This topic is in the pipeline list. Future projects include adding solar tubes to the bathrooms which have no windows and solar hot water... But that will be another year or so.

WASTE
This has been the most interesting topic for me. We have a great practice of reusing and recycling as much waste a possible. Such that we throwout maybe a 1/2 a garbage bag a week. And you know what is in it? Soft plastics... What I need to do is set up another bin for these and take them into Portland next time I go to recycle them since they can't be recycled here.

And we compost - we bought 2 composters so that one could be doing its composting thing while we use the other. Well with the yard work, the chicken shavings, grass and our kitchen compost - we have filled them both up.
We are lucky because Andy's parents live on a farm about 14 miles away and we end up taking all of our yard waste up there. But if we didn't we wouldn't have space for it.

FUN
We also got chickens for eggs and their manure for our garden.  We ripped up the front
lawn and put in raised beds and plants a fig and a plum tree.

All of these project have an impact for sure and we will keep going on other projects, but it is surprising, even to me, how reliant I am on the city for water, energy and hauling away my waste. It makes me think about how far away we are as a society from sustainability. BUT I like how it makes me think - what do I use, how can I use less, and how can my behaviors change to reduce my impact.
A work in progress and a journey worth taking.