AAA Magazine As A Green Resource

I've been a member of the AAA Organization for as long as I can remember driving a car. They provide a valuable service, many in fact, and I've made use of their emergency roadside assistance in multiple capacities over the years. Recently while reading my Highroads magazine I came across a small article regarding Green Shops.

A car can be a huge strain on the environment if not properly maintained. Emissions are forefront in many consumer's minds these days but there are other factors that car maintenance can impact which may not even make our radar as we get our cars serviced and cleaned.

Solvents, fluid disposal, spills and energy efficiency are commonly overlooked pieces of the car care puzzle.

I get my oil changed, clean the interior and exterior of my vehicle and make sure my tire pressure is optimal for better gas mileage but where we take our cars to have these services performed can be just as vital as making sure the tasks are completed. AAA has compiled a list of over thirty shops that are on their Green Shops list in and around Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.

Per the Highroads magazine:

Performing beyond the standard environmental regulations, these shops have adopted additional environmentally friendly practices including:

- Using low-hazard, low-pollution solvents or water-based cleaning
- Recycling and reusing fluids whenever possible
- Practicing spill prevention, sealing shop floors, and recycling oil
- Saving energy with efficient lighting, "green" office equipment, and energy-efficient air conditioning
- Properly maintaining plumbing, installing low-water use fixtures, and using desert landscaping and dry-floor clean-up procedures

If you're in the Phoenix or Tucson area you can learn more about the shops on their list by visiting the AAA Green Shops. To find the list of Green shops in your area contact your local AAA office for more information.

It's just one way we can all ensure we do our environmental part.

Geographic Space

Hello again faithful readers and I am so sorry to have let you all down with nothing to tear through yesterday but after literally being “trapped” in this house sewing, amping up to show off my upcycled bags at the FUMC Craft Fair this upcoming Saturday Matt and I decided it was high time to reclaim the art of the road trip and get me out of here before I turned into Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

We used to be insane travelers, every weekend we were taking off for somewhere we had never been before, photographing our journey and getting the chance to see the expansive country of ours over some fantastic tunes and conversation. Over the last couple years that all changed when we tried to become responsible adult types but yesterday we threw our responsibilities right into the recycle bin and headed off for the literal hills.

Now some of you might be saying, “yeah how’s your carbon footprint with all that gas you burned” and while I do admit we went through one tank of gas yesterday, we actually did think about our overall impact and tried to offset with some other choices. For example we:

☼ Planned out our trip so we did not burn through more gas by getting lost.
☼ Brought our own tap water in lidded cups.
☼ Brought a few pieces of the homemade banana bread I cooked Saturday.
☼ Stopped for only one meal on the road.
☼ Did not do a lot of stop and start.
☼ Used the passive heat off the engine to warm us most of the day.
☼ Traveled to a protected state park to get in touch with nature.
☼ Recently washed, waxed and cleaned out my car as well as performed light maintenance (tire pressure, oil change) to ensure she was running top notch.

We went to the Adirondacks yesterday, a round trip of about 500 miles, but considering I work from home and Matt takes public transportation every day to and from work this was the most significant miles we have done in about a year. So enjoy the photos below of our Sunday adventure in nature!

I start every road trip with a picture of Matt driving.


Lake George was our first stop and this is the summer theatre area. I dipped my toes in because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Next up, Adirondack State Park! Not as impressive in photos as in life; the mountains are enormous! I dipped my foot in the Hudson River as well and that time I did snap a photo. We encountered some of the larger mountains after it was too dark to take pictures and although I was really hoping we would, we never saw any wildlife like deer, moose or bears. I was really hoping to see a bear. Bears rule. Especially when safely inside the car.

In order to maintain a lessened carbon footprint we will not be able to do as many road trips as we used to, and certainly not the random trips we loved to take where we just got in the car and drove all over for an entire weekend, but the occasional day of travel when we generally maintain eco-conscious lifestyles can be a nice break from the pressures of adulthood and really helps get back in touch with the important parts of life -- good music, great conversation, nature and love.

Because, after all, how will we know what we are working so hard to protect if we never get out there and experience it?