Arrive in Eco-Style
You can have uniquely green transportation for every aspect of your wedding — for the commute between ceremony and reception locations (if there is one) or for your departure as the newly married couple. Eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrids and electric cars are practical for getting from one place to another. You can also consider vehicles that run on alternative fuels such as biodiesel and E85.
Hybrids run on a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The electric motor is powered by a battery that recharges itself by capturing the energy that is released whenever the brakes are applied. According to www.hybridcars.com, United States oil consumption could be reduced by 1.5 million barrels a day if fuel efficiency were increased by just five miles per gallon.
For all your guests and everyone in your wedding party, you could arrange for carpooling or shuttling from one location to another. Consider shuttle buses that run on biodiesel, or offer guests information on renting hybrid vehicles. If the ceremony and reception sites are close together, just walk from one venue to the next. To keep things even greener, have the ceremony and reception in the same locale.
The United States uses more oil than any other country in the world, and two-thirds of it goes right into our gas tanks. Every gallon of gasoline burned releases twenty-five pounds of greenhouse gases into the air.
Many rental companies are now offering greener choices. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a large fleet of FlexFuel vehicles in addition to the many hybrids in its rental fleet. It also offers a carbon offset program to its rental customers. Other rental companies around the world are offering a wide variety of more environmentally friendly rentals. Fox Rent A Car (www.foxrentacar.com) offers several hybrids, and EV Rental Cars (www.evrental.com) in California and Arizona rents the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and Honda Civic hybrid.
If natural gas is a petroleum product, how is it any better than regular gasoline?
Natural gas burns cleaner than regular gasoline and produces 20 to 30 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than regular gasoline. It is not perfect, but it is a more eco-friendly alternative.
Even limousine rental companies are expanding their green efforts and offering a greener variety of luxury. EVO Limo in California (www.evolimo.com) rents limos powered by compressed natural gas, which is a clean-burning fuel. Its SUVs are certified ultralow and super-ultralow emissions vehicles, and they have plans to introduce zero emissions vehicles that operate on hydrogen fuel cells and electricity. NYC Green Car (www.nycgreencar.com) offers a luxury car service committed to using only hybrid vehicles. Other companies in New York offer hybrid car services, but NYC Green Car was the first to offer only hybrids. Its fleet is full of Toyota Camry and Lexus hybrids.
Every day more companies are realizing that they have to be more environmentally friendly and offer responsible options for their customers. The following green transportation pioneers operate out of different parts of the United States; check your local resources to see whether companies in your area offer green transportation.
Eco-Limo (www.eco-limo.com) in Los Angeles and San Francisco offers several green rental options.
Elite Green Car (www.elitegreencar.com) in Atlanta will chauffeur you in a Lexus RX 400.
Green Limousine (www.greenlimousinecolorado.com) offers biodiesel Ford Excursions in Colorado.
Green Car Limo (www.greencarlimo.com) in California is stocked with hybrid rentals.
LimoGreen (www.limogreen.net) in New York has a fleet of natural gas-powered Lincoln Towncars.
Bauer's Limousine (www.bauerslimo.com) in Northern California offers many green options, including electric buses.
Custom-built hybrid limos are available through some companies, and in the near future the ultimate in luxurious rides may come in a green model. Bentley has announced plans to develop an eco-friendly limo. With a little bit of effort, a few phone calls, and maybe some web surfing, you should be able to find a green vehicle so you can ride around on your wedding day in eco-style.
