What does it Mean to be Green?

What does it mean to be Green? Environmentally friendly? Eco-Conscious?   A lot of companies out there are using these catch phrase lines, but do they really implement such green policies within their practice? Marketing a green product or an environmentally efficient service is one thing, but straight up using the terms and lying about it is morally wrong.

At University Junk Removal, we are “Keeping Junk Green™.” We are doing it the right way, always. Without the environment we have nothing. When we collect junk and rubbish from your home, we go to great lengths to make sure it is recycled to its fullest potential. We separate metals, brush and grass clippings, before we even take the rest of the debris to our partners at TRY Recycling.

At TRY, they go to great lengths to make sure over 85% of anything we dump is recycled into some other end product. Wasteful asphalt shingles are turned into new roads for London Ontario. Old wood furniture is chipped and churned into garden mulch. Old concrete blocks are grinded down for new driveways. We are “Keeping Junk Green™.”

As astute students of the environment and aware of the current and future issues we are facing, we leave you with a quote : “I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security.  Defence of our resources is just as important as defence abroad.  Otherwise what is there to defend?” ~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

We do all this at 20% of the cost of our competitors. Did we mention our truck runs on Natural Gas?

1-888-519-JUNK (5865)

Natural Gas Factoids: “Keeping Junk Green™”

At University Junk Removal, we are “Keeping Junk Green™.” As you know our service vehicle (Ford F150) runs solely on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas).  We find it interesting that Canada and the USA, which have massive natural gas reserves and wells, are well behind in the race to make cars and trucks as environmentally friendly as possible.

CNG produces significantly lesser emissions of pollutants like (CO₂), (UHC), (CO), (NO_x), (SO_x) and (PM), as compared to gasoline burning engines. For example, an engine running on petrol for 100kms emits 22,000 grams of CO₂, while covering the same distance on CNG emits only 16,275 grams of CO₂. The corresponding figures are 78 and 25.8 grams respectively, for nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide emissions are reduced even further.

In 1997 Ford had started a CNG vehicle fleet project.  These vehicles were to be produced from the factory and were dedicated CNG vehicles; meaning, that’s all they ran on.  As time went on and the tech bubble burst, the environmental issues in regards to vehicle pollution were put to the side as usual, next to the state of the economy.  The projects were fully abandoned in 2002.  We’d say that was great timing, in fact, perfect timing.  In 2002, after the tech bubble shock and the capitulation of Nortel down to .75, the price of oil was straggling around $20/bbl and thus there was no more push or need for efficient clean vehicles.

Does this sound familiar?  Fast forward to 2008, and the worst recession since the Great Depression, brought about a similar underpinning-sacrifice the environment for the state of the shattered economy.  How many times are we willing to do this before Mother Nature is fed up?

In regards to Canada being such an environmentally friendly country you’d think they would be pushing for such a clean burning fuel to be used in vehicles.  That’s not the case.  Here is a list of countries and the amount of cars that run on CNG as of 2008:

Pakistan 2 million CNG Vehicles

Argentina 1.7 million CNG Vehicles

Brazil 1.6 million CNG Vehicles

Iran 1 million (and yes, Iran has the 4^th largest OIL reserves they have no interest in selling CNG)

India 650,000 CNG Vehicles

Italy 580,000 CNG Vehicles

China 400,000 CNG Vehicles

Columbia 280,000 CNG Vehicles

It is estimated that South America leads the global market with 39% of the market share of CNG vehicles in usage.  Wait a minute....back up the train...SOUTH AMERICA?  They have lots of oil too...

At University Junk Removal, we have come to the conclusion that we are not going to win this battle, but we are going to make Canadians aware that we are skeptical that our government is not giving companies incentives for CNG products.  Well, that’s obvious why; our government takes a healthy 41% (and increasing with the HST soon) tax when we fill up of gasoline at the pump.  So at University Junk Removal we try to educate our customers about the clean burning fuel, and how it helps them save on their junk removal costs since we don’t have to pay ridiculous prices and taxes at the pump.  We give you, the customer the savings.

It’s sad that Canada is the 3^rd largest natural gas producer in the world; imagine how clean the air would be if all of Canada’s vehicles ran on CNG?   Forget that, what if just all of London Ontario’s vehicles ran on CNG?  This is how we are reinventing Junk Removal.  This is how we are “Keeping Junk Green™.”  1-888-519-JUNK (5865)