7 Ways to Mark Earth Day, Including Green Fuels

With Earth Day approaching, it’s a gentle reminder to be a little kinder to our planet and the perfect opportunity to reflect on your carbon footprint and its environmental impact.

This blog looks at what steps you can take to help make a difference, including small changes in your behaviour, opting for greener fuels, such as HVO Fuel, Carbon Offset Red Diesel, Speedy Flame (IHO) and Carbon Clean Kerosene and implementing the use of fuel cards for your fleet.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is held on 22nd April each year to help provide a cleaner environment and looks at a number of issues, including but not limited to:

What’s the story of Earth Day so far?

Founded in 1970 by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, the celebration included events held in over 193 countries around the globe. Mainly run by students in universities and colleges in New York, the event generated vast media coverage, with over 1 million people taking part.

The celebration has continued to encourage thrilling activities throughout its forty-year history. In 2000, the day began to focus on global warming with a push towards clean energy.

Then 2016 saw the breakthrough Paris Climate Agreement signed by the US, China and 120 other countries which met a crucial requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft of climate protection treaty. This was a breakthrough moment for Earth Day, as it was adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present in the 2015 United Nations Change Conference in Paris.
The fight for a clean environment continues today, but with an increase in urgency as the consequences of climate change become more patent each day. Earth Day strives to remind us that the well-being of our planet is well and truly in our hands.

Our modern way of living generates significant waste and pollution to the air, water and earth every day. While ‘going green’ seems like a momentum task and the notion of global warming seems abstract, a few small changes in your daily routine can really make a big difference.

Ditch the plastic bottle

There is more microplastic in our oceans than there are stars in the Milky Way, according to an Earth Day Fact Sheet. Plastic is destroying our planet; it’s littering our oceans, contaminating our food and water supply and damaging our health.

What’s more, 91% of plastic waste cannot be recycled, which is leading to an estimated 18-35 billion plastic bottles ending up in landfills every year – and that’s not including those in the oceans and on streets.

Opting for reusable and washable glass or metal bottles not only keeps your water free from contaminants, but it reduces your wastage and saves you money too.

Use a reusable coffee cup

Earth Day’s 2018 Fact Sheet also explains how 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, which is estimated to exceed half a trillion by 2021. Commercial cups contain plastic and Styrofoam which are particularly bad for landfills.

If you’re a regular Starbucks or Costa Coffee goer, in the same recyclable vein, purchasing a refillable cup is another eco-friendly move. According to Recycling Coalition of Utah, you can eliminate the need for 100 disposable bottles each year.

You might also benefit from a few pence cheaper coffees for using your own container depending on the coffee shop.

Keep shopping bags on hand

Almost 2 million single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute, with 8 million metric tons in our oceans each year.

With the government’s recent carrier bag charges, we hope that plastic waste will start to see a decrease, but there’s still a long way to go.

Recycle, recycle, recycle

Not only will recycling reduce your household waste significantly, but it will also cut down on landfill build-up.

It’s now easier than ever too, with separate bins for paper, plastic, glass and food waste – simply separate it, chuck it, and they’ll do the rest. There are certain materials that particularly need recycling:

• Paper – it decomposes quickly but is made from much-needed, slow-growing trees
• Aluminium – it takes 80 – 200 years to decompose
• Plastic – it takes from 500 – 1,000 years to compose, nearly every piece of plastic ever made still exists in some form
• Glass – it will never decompose and takes up space in landfills for at least 1 million years

Ride a bike or hop on public transport

Our cars contribute significant amounts of pollution, particularly in city centres. With the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London – a traffic management and emission reduction scheme – now operating 24 hours a day (as of 8 April 2019), it’s never been more sensical to ditch the car which will not only save you money but also reduce your carbon footprint too.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone pricing is now in effect 24/7 and will apply if your vehicle does not meet the emissions standard required. So if you have an older gas or diesel car, you’ll now face charges to travel through the central London area:

• Cars, motorcycles and vans up to and including 3.5 tonnes – £12.50
• Heavier vehicles including lorries over 3.5 tonnes and buses/coaches over 5 tonnes – £100

Swap your regular fuels for green alternatives

Red Diesel for Carbon Offset Red Diesel

Red diesel (gas oil) is the bloodline for many businesses, such as farms and forestry businesses to keep their livelihood and operations running smoothly. But for fuel-dependent businesses, there is a way that you can help reduce your carbon footprint whilst still using the fuel.

Here at Speedy Fuels, we provide a completely Carbon Offset Red Diesel (C.O.R.D) which enables you to counteract the impact your red diesel usage has on the environment.

At just a small extra cost which goes directly to carbon funding initiatives across the globe, you can help the UK government achieve a 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 (in line with the Paris Climate Agreement). The cost is directly built into the price of your C.O.R.D, ensuring your strive towards a greener future is simple and stress-free.

By purchasing credits from environmental agencies across the world, for every molecule of carbon released by its combustion, you’ll invest in green projects – like tree planting – in areas that are in particular need of restoration, to reduce CO2 output.

Trees have huge benefits for poor communities – they’re a source of food, energy and income, helping them achieve longstanding financial and earth-friendly sustainability.

Other initiatives include to fund renewable energy, pollution control enhancement of air and water quality and restoration of wildlife territories.

Here at Speedy Fuels, we appreciate that releasing carbon emissions is unavoidable when delivering our fuel to businesses and homes across the UK. That’s why we also offset all of our delivery tankers’ mileage. We likewise pay an environmental agency for every litre of fuel we use to thwart the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere, meaning our deliveries are carbon neutral. This comes at no extra cost to you, and is fully funded by Speedy Fuels.

Red Diesel for Industrial Heating Oil

If you currently use red diesel (gas oil) in industrial boilers, heaters, dryers & furnaces (so where the production of hot water, steam or other forms of heat generation is required) Speedy Flame can be used as a direct alternative:

• Reduced sulphur content – reduces acidic flue gas emissions by up to 50%.
• FAME/biodiesel free – less chance of a bacterial attack on the stored fuel.
• Contains multi-functional additive – offers fuel system cleanliness & corrosion protection, as well as reduced emissions and combustion chamber deposit control.
• Light colour, low odour, sediment-free – much cleaner than some commercially available products.

DERV for Biofuel

Speedy Fuels biofuel is an environmentally-friendly alternative to diesel (DERV). In layman’s terms, biofuels are grown fuels (corn ethanol) that can be used instead of fossil fuels (petroleum). They provide plant-based solutions to the planet’s growing energy problems. The beauty of them is that plants ‘suck’ about as much CO2 out of the air as that cars produce when they grow.

Our biofuel is made from completely renewable and sustainable sources, enabling it to produce 87% less CO2 emissions than petroleum-based diesel. It’s non-toxic, biodegradable and it’s completely safe to handle.

Heating Oil for Carbon Clean Kerosene

Also known as carbon clean heating oil, this green fuel has been designed specifically to reduce your carbon footprint – so it’s the perfect answer to help you do your bit for Earth Day. But how does it work exactly?

1. Made to avoid common problems that occur in boiler systems
2. By avoiding these problems, you will lower your fuel consumption
3. Lower fuel usage will mean less CO2 emitted into the atmosphere
4. Less CO2 means that fewer trees need to be planted to absorb it
5. The environment becomes cleaner

Distribute fuel cards for your fleet

We take environmental matters seriously, and with increasing fuel prices and customer demand for improved environmental initiatives, we acknowledge that fuel efficiency is key to the future success of our operations, your operations and the environment.

Our fuel cards allow you to pay for fuel at authorised fuel stations nationwide so you can:

• Keep track of the amount of fuel you use
• Track your location to find nearby fuel stations
• Improve your fleet efficiency
• Better your social responsibility
• Reduce your fuel consumption and carbon emissions

To start doing your bit for our planet and to help celebrate Earth Day, get in touch on 0330 123 3773 today.