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It’s easy for eco-conscious Coloradans to find ways to make their homes and lifestyles a little more sustainable, like screwing in new compact fluorescent bulbs and turning down the A/C. But what about our gas-guzzling cars? Enter Green Garage (Greengarage.com), the state’s first environmentally minded car service. Launched last November by former mechanics—now dubbed “car huggers”—who wanted to offer a full-service shop with a lighter tire tread (er, footprint), the start-up has locations in Boulder and Fort Collins. Here, three ways this pit crew can make your old Subaru green(er).
Oil Change
A green oil filter is much more efficient at cleaning oil than a traditional filter, which means you only need to change the oil once every 24,000 miles.
TIre service
A nontraditional tire tune-up—deflating your tires and filling them with nitrogen, not oxygen—helps to keep a more consistent pressure, which improves your mileage and slows tire wear, even on mountain roads.
Replacement
Partnering with Eco-Cycle, the garage recycles windshield wiper blades and spark plugs. It also sends used oil to a refinery where it gets re-refined, and ships used tires to be repurposed for road base and playground mulch.
