Hammer Time: Three Billion Gallons

Like a sign on a door, this sum of financial flammables has indeed been given two meanings.The first is that it represents the daily gasoline usage of all of us here on planet Earth. Scooters, cars, industrial machines, toys, generators, plastics and petrochemical materials the world over all amount to this “deficits don’t matter” level of daily consumption.That number alone will be incredibly hard to change on a voluntary basis. Heck, it may indeed be close to the realm of impossible barring another financial crisis. But there is a smaller usage level that can be altered depending on… well… you!That’s the amount of motor oil used in the United States. Approximately three billion gallons a year are put exclusively into the machines that power our mobile freedoms and conveniences.The car that gets you around. The drink you just bought that came from a delivery truck. The code enforcement officer who burns taxpayer money by aimlessly wandering around your neighborhood looking for new sources of county revenue. All of these folks depend on motor oil to get them where they need to go.Here is a short video to get you better educated about this important lubricator. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAJ4XVmI4dcWell, wrong chemical but right idea. Now that you are better familiarized with one of the additives used in motor oil, we here at TTAC must now ask you to consider a question.Would you be willing to use a re-refined oil if it met API-SN standards?Since motor oil simply gets dirty with use, it doesn’t lose lubricative properties. Aproximately 85% of the used oil can now be recycled and re-refined with a new additive package making up the remaining 15% portion.In simple English, if you used 60 quarts of re-refined motor oil over the next decade you would avoid the pumping and importation of twelve barrels of crude.The financial cost? Not much for right now. You can pretty much get this stuff for free if you are the DIY type. Advance Auto Parts and O’Reilly’s now offer mail-in-rebates that make re-refined oils almost free if you frequent those stores. Pep Boys offers $20 back if you buy a $30 oil Nextgen oil change special. But since Manny and his minions decided to pollute their stores with cheap scooters and one sole checkout person, I would advise shopping around the 0ther places first.