» Earth Friendly Travel

Biodiesel Cars Available for Rent – Eco-friendly travel tip #2

lgientke — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 03:21:07 +0000

Taking a green vacation? When you get to your destination and need to travel longer than your cycling legs will take you, consider renting a biodiesel vehicle!

When traveling to Los Angeles or the Hawaiian island of Maui, check out Bio-Beetle ECO rental cars. Bio-Beetle has locations at LAX airport in Los Angeles. While Bio-Beetle is the first car rental company to solely rent vehicles run on Bio-diesel, these cares are terrific for the environment. Car types available for rent include the Volkswagen Jetta, Golf, Passat and Beetle and the roomy Jeep Liberty. The added benefit of renting from Bio-Beetle is that there is no need to wait in line at the car rental office upon arrival to your destination. The customer service of Bio-Beetle is excellent; they will pick you up curbside at the airport.

Biodiesel is a great renewable fuel produced from natural oils found in plants. Raw materials for biodiesel range from used cooking oil from fast food restaurants to soybean oil purchased specifically for conversion into a motor fuel. Since biodiesel can be made domestically, it could have a tremendous impact on foreign policy and the economy. Renting a biodiesel car now is a way for citizens to show their support for this budding product.

Bio-Beetle’s vehicles are powered by B99.9 biodiesel, a fuel made from only vegetable oils. In Hawaii, most biodiesel is made from used cooking oil. In the Los Angeles, their biodiesel is often distilled from Walnut Oil. Bio-Beetle does not blend their vegetable oil derived biodiesel with any petroleum distillates or products.

Renting a biodiesel vehicle is not only a great way to minimize your impact on the environment when traveling; it can also help to familiarize you with biodiesel and biodiesel cars in general. If you think you may be interested in purchasing a biodiesel vehicle, renting a biodiesel car from a company such as Bio-Beetle is an excellent way to learn about how biodiesel cars differ from the car you drive now. You may find that biodiesel is the right choice for you. If so, great, if not, you’ll be thankful you rented a biodiesel car prior to such a major expenditure.

For small business owners and vacationers alike biodiesel car rental results in reduced expenses for fuel. Rates for biodiesel can run as little as half of a gallon of gasoline. This can really add up on long vacations or business trips, especially if there will be a lot of traveling around the destination. If your travels will be taking you to California, biodiesel rentals offer another benefit, especially in traffic jam-prone cities. In California, hybrid and alternative fueled vehicles are eligible for the carpool lane, regardless of number of occupants.

Hybrid Rental Car - visit Rent a Prius or Hybrid Car

Earth Friendly Travel Tip #1 – Rent Hybrid Cars

lgientke — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:37:06 +0000

Jeff Pink, the Chairman and CEO of EV Rental Cars recently announced they have doubled their fleet of hybrid cars for rent over the last year. Though a partnership with Fox Rental Car (www.foxrentacar.com), they are able to rent a wide variety of hybrid cars including the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Honda Civic Hybrid.

While this is exciting news for environmentally responsible travelers, there is a catch — locations. Currently Fox Rental Car and EV Rentals offer hybrids for rent in 9 western cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco and Orange County. Despite the west coast bias of the hybrid offerings, there are plenty of things to see within a couple hours drive of each of these loacations. Many are hoping for wider avalability on the east coast and in the midwest.

Lee Gientke, owner of the website www.hybrid-rental-car.com, commented saying, “I am excited to see the availability of hybrid cars for rent on the west coast but we will see true environmental benefits when travelers can rent a hybrid car nationwide.”

Travelers who rent hybrid cars recieve many earth and money saving benefits including:

50 plus miles per gallon and more than 600 miles on a single tank. For many vacationers, this can be a significant savings especially with gas approching $4.

California hybrid drivers are able to drive in the car pool lane even if driving alone

All the hybrid cars offered by Fox and EV Rentals seat 5 adults and their luggage comfortably.

When traveling at low speeds, most hybrids emit zero greenhouse gases because of their electric motors.

To rent a hybrid car for your trip, visit Fox Rent a Car at www.foxrentacar.com.

Hybrid Rental Car - visit Rent a Prius or Hybrid Car

Five Earth Friendly Travel Tips

lgientke — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:01:38 +0000

The responsible travel experts at Boulder, Colorado-based ecotour outfitter Natural Habitat Adventures want to help you fight global warming while keeping your travel cool with 5 easy ways to avoid making your next vacation a guilt trip:

1) Stay Neutral: Going the group tour route? Check for green credentials. Increasingly, travel outfitters like Natural Habitat Adventures (http://www.NatHab.com) are bolstering an ongoing commitment to sustainable travel by going carbon neutral. Natural Habitat Adventures reduces its carbon emissions with programs that include recycling and renewable energy use, then buys offsets to make up the difference — guaranteeing carbon neutral trips for its guests. Other carbon neutral outfitters include O.A.R.S., REI Adventure and Escape Adventure. Traveling on your own? Organizations like Sustainable Travel International (http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) will help you calculate and offset trip emissions; major online travel companies Travelocity and Expedia also offer travelers offsetting options when they make reservations.

2) Chart a green course: New eco-maps chart the natural and cultural environment to suggest low-impact activities and resources wherever you travel. Green Map System (http://www.greenmap.org) provides “green” maps of some 302 spots around the globe, with most recent offerings ranging from Missoula, Montana, to 17 new Taiwanese maps.

3) Train yourself: Europe isn’t the only place worth traveling by train. Check into train or bus options wherever you travel; railroad shuttles up and down the U.S. Eastern Seaboard are particularly quick and convenient. And if you do end up driving, keep your car well-tuned and tires properly inflated to pollute less — and cut gas costs up to 15 percent.

4) Fuel for Thought: Committed to a road trip? Try to buy gas from a more environmentally responsible oil company: The Sierra Club recently updated its “Pick Your Poison” guide to gasoline; two companies, BP and Sunoco, continue to receive its “top of the barrel” rating. Better yet, buy or rent a hybrid or bio-fuel car. While mainstream rental companies continue to increase eco-friendly offerings — Hertz recently began offering its “Green Collection” — the few truly green rental companies are prospering and expanding. EV Rental Cars and Fox Rent A Car (www.foxrentacar.com) regularly offer hybrid rentals at a discount, and Bio-Beetle Eco Rental Cars offers bio-fueled vehicles. Or consider hybrid car-sharing through a service like Flexcar (http://www.flexcar.com). Whatever your vehicle choice, consider joining eco-friendly auto club Better World Club (http://www.betterworldclub.com), which offers discounts on hybrid cars and eco-travel — and even roadside assistance for bicycles.

5) In transit: If you do fly, eschew individual cabs in favor of public transit or a hotel shuttle to and from the airport. Or try hailing a hybrid cab: San Francisco, New York and Chicago all have added hybrid taxis to their fleets, mainly Ford Escape Hybrids, while the Brits recently introduced the new lower-emission diesel TX4 taxi in London. And the first hybrid taxi service, PlanetTran (http://www.planettran.com), continues to serve airports in greater Boston and the Bay area by prior reservation. While you’re visiting another city, remember to plan your day around walking destinations or the city’s public transit options.

SOURCE Natural Habitat Adventures

Hybrid Rental Car - visit Rent a Prius or Hybrid Car