Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money.

Not everyone can afford to pay the freight for one of those new electric cars hitting the market this year. Others may be leery of the long-term viability of hybrids.

What to do if you’re driving a conventional gasoline-powered car and still want to help the environment? Maintaining your vehicle’s fuel system can improve performance, lower emissions and save you money, too.

“A well-maintained fuel system is essential for good gas mileage,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “By simply replacing your car’s fuel filter every two years or 24,000 miles and having your fuel injectors flushed our every 30,000 miles, you will not only have a cleaner, ‘greener’ car, but you will also spend less ‘green’ at the pump.”

The fuel system includes a pressure regulator, fuel injectors, lines/hoses, fuel filter, fuel tank and one or more fuel pumps. These components work together to supply fuel to the vehicle as needed.

“While the fuel system may seem complex, preventative maintenance will keep it running at peak performance and keep you in the ‘green,’” said White.

Addison Community Garden. Photo: addisongreen.info

As the new Addison Community Garden gets ready for its September opening, the Addison Arbor Foundation is sponsoring the next event in its Arbor University series.

Dotty Woodson, Ed.D., of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will present “Community Gardening and What to Plant in Your Fall Garden” on September 18, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at the Addison Athletic Club. Woodson is an expert in community gardening and will give attendees tips on how it all works.

Space is limited, and reservations are required. To sign up, click here. 

A Ford Escape is part of the Town's efforts to save money while cutting down on emissions. Photo: addisongreen.info

By Bill Sullivan

As Director of the General Services Department for the Town of Addison, Mark Acevedo wears a pair of green hats.

One of those is pretty straightforward: Make those tax dollars go as far as possible while still providing high quality services to Addison residents.

The other: While being fiscally responsible, do whatever is feasible to be a good steward to the environment.

“We started going green before it became trendy and fashionable,” he says. “Now, it’s just part of the way we do things.”

One of the ongoing components of managing those two mandates is figuring out the best way to keep the Town’s fleet of cars and trucks running as cleanly and efficiently as possible. Over the years, that quest has taken on various forms.

About 20 years ago, natural gas seemed like a good option, but the required fueling station required about a $1 million investment.

“For us, it wasn’t cost effective,” Acevedo recalls.

Propane was next, and at one point, about 65 percent of Addison’s non-public safety fleet was propane-driven. In time, however, propane stopped burning as cleanly, essentially defeating the “green” benefits of the initiative.

A Chevy Silverado pickup displays the Town logo. Photo: addisongreen.info

Around the turn of the century, Low Emission Vehicles (LEVs) and Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) made the scene. Those were popular until about 2004, when hybrid electrics became a viable option.

Over the past six years, the Town has acquired 10 hybrids, starting with Ford Escapes and eventually adding two Chevy Silverado pickup trucks. (Currently, hybrid aren’t practical for larger trucks or for police work.) In addition to cutting down on emissions, the hybrids have produced impressive cost savings as well.

“We tracked everything we swapped out and ran cost comparisons over time,” Acevedo said. “We’re at a point where we’re saving about 49.7 percent.”

What’s next? Acevedo will be keeping up with developments with the new generation of electric cars hitting the market this year, although it may be a while before they identify themselves as practical options.

For now, hybrids are helping keep Addison up and running, making a progressive-thinking Town just a little more green.

From: North Central Texas Council of Governments

Commuters who want to leave their cars at home but don’t have access to mass transit have a new resource to help them find rides to work. Tryparkingit.com has introduced a new ride-matching component that allows users to find carpools and vanpools near their homes.

The expansion of this alternative-commute web site gives Dallas-Fort Worth a comprehensive, integrated ride-sharing program. The new option combines the resources of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) and Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) to create a user-friendly site that will give commuters more choices for getting to work and provide insurance against unpredictable commuting costs.

The goal of the program is to relieve traffic congestion, thereby improving the reliability of the transportation system for all commuters. Another benefit is the improvement of the region’s air quality, since Dallas-Fort Worth is an ozone nonattainment area.

To join a carpool or vanpool, visit www.tryparkingit.com and enter your name, address and the address of your employer. You will then be matched with several potential drivers within 10 miles of your home. You may update in your profile whether you would be willing to drive, if you smoke and how you would prefer to be notified of matches. Ride-sharing information maintained by the three public transportation agencies will be available at the NCTCOG-administered site.

Potential users of the service can contact their chosen matches to arrange to share a ride to work. To help find people to ride with, the program provides maps, but limits users’ ability to zoom in.

Those who don’t have computers may call for matches. In the DART service area, the number is 214-747-RIDE (7433); The T can be reached at 817-336-RIDE (7433); DCTA can be reached at 972-221-4600.

Since October 2006, Tryparkingit.com has offered residents the opportunity to keep track of their daily commutes. Commuters have saved more than 3 million miles by choosing to ride transit, share a ride, telecommute or opting for other ways to reduce the number of vehicle trips.

Addison Community Garden. Photo: addisongreen.info

If you’re still wondering what’s going on in the southwest corner of the Addison Athletic Club grounds, a not-so-secret garden is on the verge of becoming reality.

The new Addison Community Garden is scheduled for a grand opening in September. Already, the irrigation system is in place, and raised beds dot the landscape.

Participation is open to Town of Addison residents. Charter memberships became available early in July, with volunteers pledging a $100 donation and 50 community service hours.

A limited number of plots are still available. To get involved, download the Adopt-a-Plot and Release of Claims forms and return them to the Addison Arbor Foundation.

A DART bus readies for a run to Downtown Dallas. Photo: addisongreen.info

Tired of fighting the traffic from Addison to your office in Downtown Dallas, or simply tapped out from paying daily or monthly parking fees just to give your car a place to spend the day?

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) may have an attractive alternative for you.

From the Addison Transit Center, you can connect by bus to any route in the DART system. The bus-only Center, which opened in 1999, is located on Arapaho Road between Quorum Drive and Addison Road, just a stone’s throw from Addison Circle. It features 300 free parking spots and other amenities designed to make taking the bus a little more attractive.

Climate-controlled waiting area. Photo: addisongreen.info

On rainy days, riders can take shelter in covered seating areas in each bus bay.  Extreme temperature day?  A climate controlled central seating area offers a break from triple-digit summer heat waves or refuge from chilling winter commutes.

Restrooms and vending machines are available, too. Bicycle riders can take advantage of a bike locker and rack.

Oh, and did we mention that it’s green, too?

Leaving your car at the Transit Center and taking the bus cuts down on traffic, gasoline consumption and environmentally-damaging emissions.  It’s a nice way to show your concern for the planet while saving a few bucks to spend in one of Addison’s fine hotels, entertainment venues, bars and restaurants.

Addison Transit Center. Photo: addisongreen.info

A sign in the Men's Room at the Addison Service Center gives visitors the low-down on Uppercut. Photo: addisongreen.info

By Bill Sullivan

Antimicrobial coating on the Uppercut's handle protects users against germs. Photo: addisongreen.com

If you’re doing business at the Addison Service Center, a trip to the restroom may offer a different kind of experience. About a year ago, the Facilities Division installed Sloan’s Uppercut dual-flush feature, which can save up to ½ gallon of water per flush.

“We call them stick shift toilets,” Mark Acevedo, Director of the General Services Department, says with a laugh.

In this case, there are only two gears. For those occasions when you’ll only be flushing liquid or light paper, tilt the handle up. When disposing of solids, tilt the handle down for a full flush.

For the moment, the more versatile handles are limited to the Service Center, home to seven Town departments. While saving ½ gallon at a time may not have an enormous short-term impact, it is part of the Town of Addison’s overall commitment to save taxpayer money while being environmentally aware.

“It’s making some impact, I’m sure,” Acevedo said. “Every little bit you can save helps.”

There’s no nip in the air. Leaves are still green. The sight of a sweater makes you sweat.

Summer still has us in its hot clutches, but the “back-to-school” signs have sprouted at the mall.

So lean back and check out our collection of green school supplies. We’re talking basics – lunchboxes, paper, notepads, binders, markers, pencils, etc. From fair-trade backpacks to natural rubber erasers, if you want your child to take an eco-friendly sensibility to school, we’ve started shopping for you.

Before they get the stuff, they have to know where to put it. Since backpacks (and messenger bags) are very visible, they should look good as well as be eco-friendly.

Patagonia is big on environmental responsibility, and offers detailed information about each product. Their lightweight travel pack (above, $89) is roomy but can be folded into a small pocket when empty. About half of its polyester is made of recycled soda bottles and used fabrics.