Limo-green: Modding a stretch for eco’s sake

Kristie Burns is a single mom extraordinaire. Her list of jobs is as long as it is varied (some might say “deliciously weird”). She teaches parents how to put together lessons for the children, she teaches people all about herbs and their healing properties, she writes books, she knits unicorns! This is how I ran into her, actually. Well, no, her daughter built a small wardrobe for her doll clothes and she posted the plans online. THAT’s how I found her initially, but since then I’ve become quite enamored.

And Then … I found out she drives a Freakin’ Limo. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Not Even Cool Enough, because … seriously, how great is this lady … SHE USES IT FOR CHARITY.

Charity, people! And not just any charitable cause, but she donates rides to raise money for abuse shelters, and charters battered children and adults.

My sister is a survivor of a 13 year marriage that nearly killed her, and that need to feel supported and special is so pronounced, especially after that initial surge of “I did it! I left him, and I’m safe!” wears off and you’re worrying how to get your kids to the doctor on 0 gallons of gas.

My heart hurts just a little bit that she’s bothered by the fact she gets 15 mpg. She’s already doing so much good … it’s frustrating there’s anything she should be worry about falling short on. (But this is what women do, I suppose.) She has plans to green it up, but where do you begin? Well, how about with what you’re already doing?

I love Kristie’s blog, The Year of the Limo, because it showcases many ways you can be less destructive regardless of whether you drive an Insight or a … well … Limo (which gets better gas mileage than I would have garnered).

Although the limo uses more gas than my old car, I am finding that I actually use less gas than I used to. Ironically, owning a less efficient car has made me more environmentally aware…

now that I have a car that gets only 15 mpg I often ponder…is it really worth going across town to shop? Why don’t we just walk instead of driving to the store? I don’t really need to go to the grocery store more than once a week…sometimes the car will sit in the driveway for days!

I experience this with my minivan. It sat in our driveway so long, in fact, that I had to get it towed somewhere and worked on to get up and running again! Maybe, instead of encouraging people to get more efficient cars, I should encourage them to get gas-guzzlers? lol

OR NOT.

I’m really interested in helping Kristie come up with ideas for greening her limo, and if any of you have money to donate to a cause … this seems like a wonderful service to support.

[Photo credit: Year of the Limo]