Going Green Limousine Keeps Chicago Going Green
Our green Chicago limo service is celebrating its one year anniversary this month. We are so excited to be Going Green Limousine and we are thrilled to be taking you with us. My husband and I started this business a year ago with the intention of providing green limo service to Chicago, its surrounding suburbs, Northwest Indiana, and the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Our goal was to provide first rate luxury limo service with a drastically reduced carbon footprint. We have succeeded.
Limo cars spend the majority of their day idling in the limo lot or in city traffic, emitting greenhouse gases and polluting our environment with toxic Particulate Matter (PMs). With the introduction of larger hybrid vehicles to accommodate passengers comfortably in the limo service industry, we didn’t understand why Chicago limo companies were not taking advantage of the technology to correct and maybe even reverse the damage being done.
We knew it was something that needed to happen. We decided it was something we needed to do. After much shopping and deliberation, we chose the Ford Escape Hybrid as our signature vehicle due to its roomy interior, its excellent cargo space, and its terrific MPG rating. Our eco-optimized Ford Escape can get up to 51 miles per gallon, and that’s in the city. Furthermore, our eco-optimized hybrids capture harmful PMs and reduce emissions by more than 80% over the other limo service providers, which is a huge impact when you consider there are more than 9,000 limo cars in Chicago alone.
As an added bonus, the Ford Escape Hybrid can hold four passengers whereas most limo town cars and sedans only carry three passengers. So, our hybrid SUV eliminates the need for a stretch vehicle simply because of the addition of one more person. For parties larger than four people we have even larger hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles, and for any stretch limo work in and around Chicago, we happily donate a percentage of those proceeds to Chicago Gateway Green.
In our commitment to greening Chicago ground transportation, we also decided to green more than just our cars. Our entire business is run via telecommuting in order to eliminate the need for a physical office location that would simply consume resources. Our chauffeurs are able to take the hybrids home so that they do not need to put a car on the road for the sheer purpose of picking up another car. We reduce paper waste, use recycled materials, and reuse and recycle paper and plastic.
Our entire Chicago eco limo team is dedicated to greening Chicago and our clients are making it possible. Happy anniversary, Going Green Limousine, and thanks to all of you for Going Green with us!
I loved my old dishwasher. I loved it so much that I was willing to pay to have it repaired on those few occassions that required it. But the last time it broke down, I decided it was time to get a new one. After all, it was already nine years old with a projected life expectancy of ten years. So off I went, excited to buy my new dishwasher and add another energy saving appliance to my life.
My initial reaction: Uggghh. Filled with regret. I wished I paid to have my old dishwasher repaired and kept it for as long as possible. This new energy saving dishwasher consumed SO much more energy, and without cleaning as effectively. I was manually rinsing my dishes, prewashing them in the dishwasher, setting all of the highest temperatures for the wash cycle, and then doing another prewash after the fact. Then I washed half of the dishes that were still dirty by hand. Energy saving? Nope. Not by a long shot. Not to mention the water waste, too.
Grrrr. Then I noticed a film buildup in the dishwasher getting worse and worse, so I called maintenance for my new dishwasher. Much to my dismay, I learned that I probably got rid of my older dishwasher prematurely, since the main problem was not my dishwasher, but my detergent, due to a change in their formula several months prior (coincidentally right around the same time my other dishwasher started developing problems). Okay. So, I now had a clean dishwasher and a new detergent and a renewed hope in energy saving dishwashers. Except . . .
. . . my dishwasher repairman cautioned me to always use the High Temperature cycle otherwise the water will never heat up enough to melt the detergent sufficiently. Of course, the high temperature cycle takes about an hour longer to run. He also reiterated that I need to let the hot water run from my faucet for at least thirty seconds prior to running a load so that the water can get heated (something I knew I had to do with this dishwasher but I never needed to do it with my old one).
Long and short of it, the new detergent coupled with running hot water and using a high temperature cycle does clean my dishes beautifully. I just still wonder about how much energy I’m saving with my new energy saving dishwasher when my old dishes cleaned beautifully without all of the extra energy efforts!
Okay, so Elvis probably really is dead, but I admit I did have temporary suspension of disbelief last night. Now, I will be honest and tell you I am not a huge Elvis fan. I like his music, but I don’t go crazy like some people, such as my sister, do. But, since my sister and husband are both huge Elvis fans, it seemed like a no brainer Christmas gift to get tickets to The Ultimate Elvis Tribute, which was taking place in Hammond, Indiana on Elvis’ 75th birthday. That Elvis Tribute took place on 1/8/2010 at The Venue.
At 7:30 we sat in our absolutely awesome seats, front center of stage, second row of the first mezzanine, and we waited to see our Elvis impersonators. There were three total, one for each decade spanning the fifties through seventies. Now remember, I was going along more to be a good sport than to scream and faint and cry to take Elvis home with me. (That was what my sister was there for!) I was the skeptic hoping to be somewhat entertained.
It didn’t take long to impress me! The first Elvis skidded onto stage opening with a mean Hound Dog that had my feet tapping and my shoulders rocking. My first thought was, “Eh, he doesn’t really look like Elvis.” But you know what? Before that first song was over, I was sold. Between the voice, the music, the gyrations, and the personality, I was willing to believe Elvis was up there. My sister, you can imagine, was excited beyond everything, as were most of the women in this sold out show!
While the sixties Elvis sounded a lot like the real thing, I didn’t think he looked that much like him; rather here the clothes made the man. But that didn’t matter to me because I was much more enthralled by the Ann Margaret impersonator that shared the stage for the Viva Las Vegas skit. She had the looks, the voice, the motions, and best of all, the lively personality of the ever charming Ann Margaret. This was a total bonus to the show that I was not expecting!
When that same sixties Elvis came out decked out in full black skin tight leather, well, do I have to say anything else on that one? This time he really did look like Elvis and as he came around the audience singing and distributing kisses, my sister stood up ready to steal one. Unfortunately, and much to her dismay, he stopped walking our way just one person over from her! Although she was disappointed, she didn’t let it affect her mood. She was enthralled throughout the entire show.
Enter the last Elvis. He was good, so don’t take this wrong, but I think he was a last minute stand-in. He missed a couple of cues and I think the band members’ names were written on the floor for him during his introductions. That aside, he had a phenomenal voice and everyone readily stood for the American ensemble he dramatically performed. And of course, the women lined up at the stage waiting for kisses and hoping to get one of ”Elvis” sweaty red silk scarves.
The concert lasted approximately 1.5 hours and even though I was going in more as a spectator than a die-hard fan, it was definitely one of the best performances I ever attended. I hope you had a chance to enjoy it yourself, and if you didn’t, try to pick up some front and center tickets at the next Elvis performance. You won’t be disappointed.
Do you have any other great gift ideas under $10 or some fun and uniqe stocking stuffers? Please share them here! Thanks.