Irving Oil celebrates Earth Day with fuel efficiency clinics and mountain bike giveaways
SAINT JOHN, NB – One of the best ways to decrease fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gases while driving is by having the proper air pressure in your tires. This Saturday, Irving Oil will offer customers a free tire pressure training clinic at select Saint John BlueCanoe locations, in partnership with the New Brunswick Lung Association.
On Saturday, April 21, Earth Day Ambassadors from the New Brunswick Lung Association will offer customers a demonstration on how to check their vehicles’ tire pressure and, if necessary, add air to their tires. Participating locations are the Garden Street, Fairville Boulevard, and Champlain Heights BlueCanoe locations in Saint John.
Customers can enter to win one of four Trek mountain bikes being given away at each location.
“Reducing our environmental impact is something we take very seriously at our company, and we’re always looking for ways to further improve our environmental performance,” says Jay Leduc, Senior Manager of Health, Environment and Safety for Irving Oil. “When it comes to protecting the environment, even small changes in lifestyle can make a big difference. Something as simple as having the right tire pressure can reduce how much fuel is used, save money, and protect the environment through lower emissions.”
"Earth Day is a time for each and every one of us to think about our personal impact on the environment, and to take concrete actions to improve our world," said Kenneth Maybee, President and CEO of the New Brunswick Lung Association. "We are very excited to be taking part in this outreach event to show people simple, easy-to-do fuel efficiency actions that will benefit air quality, the environment, and their pocket books."
Irving Oil will give away 40 additional Trek mountain bikes next week through a promotion with local radio stations 97.3 The Wave and Country 94.1. Listeners will be entered into the draw by giving suggestions on how they can help protect the environment.
Irving continues to invest in proven technology at its existing refinery and encourages energy efficiency throughout its operations. In the 1990s, Irving Oil became an industry leader in the move towards low sulphur fuels. The company became the first oil company to receive a US Environmental Protection Agency Award for Clean Air Excellence for its clean fuels in 2003. Irving has also taken a number of steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including:
- Partnering with Praxair Inc. to capture carbon dioxide from the Saint John refinery. The carbon dioxide is then used in soft drinks.
- Investing in energy efficiency, including building a co-generation plant to power the Saint John refinery. Cogeneration is an energy efficient form of power generation that uses one fuel (natural gas) to produce two forms of energy (power and steam).
- Championing the supply of cleaner burning natural gas in Atlantic Canada by becoming an early and significant purchaser of Sable natural gas; supporting the development of the natural gas pipeline; and developing an LNG receiving terminal in partnership with Repsol YPF.
Irving Oil has also made it easier for customers to improve their homes’ energy efficiency and save on their energy costs by partnering with Efficiency New Brunswick on the new home energy efficiency program. Under the program, Irving Oil provides home-heat customers with a rebate of $500 on all new Energy Star oil and natural gas furnaces or boilers installed in eligible homes.
In the last decade, Irving Oil has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the environmental performance of its processes and products. Since 2000, as a result of these investments, Irving Oil has reduced sulphur content in its gasoline by over 90 per cent and sulphur content in diesel by 97 per cent. At its refinery, the company has also reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by 24 per cent, volatile organic compounds by 12 per cent, and particulate matter by 16 per cent. The refinery’s new sulphur recovery unit, currently under construction, will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions from the refinery by an additional 26 per cent.
Here are eight easy ways drivers can reduce their fuel consumption and emit less greenhouse gases:
1. Avoid excessive speed – fuel efficiency decreases exponentially at higher speeds over 90 – 100 km/hr.
2. Measure tire pressure monthly – under inflation leads to poor fuel economy and tread wear.
3. Keep your engine tuned – a poorly tuned engine uses more gasoline and produces more polluting emissions than a well-tuned one.
4. Replace air filters regularly – dirty filters can cause engines to run inefficiently.
5. Use the correct viscosity engine oil for your engine – higher viscosity oils can cause resistance to the moving engine parts.
6. Resist using your air conditioning unnecessarily.
7. Avoid jackrabbit starts – smooth, steady acceleration uses less fuel.
8. Turn your engine off when not in use – idling for more than approximately 10 seconds uses more fuel that shutting off your vehicle and restarting it.
About Irving Oil
Founded in 1924, Irving Oil is the regional refining and marketing company serving customers in Eastern Canada, Quebec, and New England with a range of finished energy products, including gasoline, diesel, home heating fuel, jet fuel and complementary products and services. The company's network of Bluecanoe and Mainway convenience stores throughout Eastern Canada and New England offers customers a wide variety of products and services, including grocery and snack items, bakeries and convenience items, in addition to fuel. In 2003, Irving Oil became the first oil company to win a USEPA Clean Air Excellence award for its low-sulphur gasoline.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Parker
Irving Oil
(506) 202-2992
Congratulations to the winners of the TREK Mountain bikes:
1. Jonah McNutty
2. Kevin Rooney
3. Jessica Allan
4. Leah Bourgeois
5. Kim Glew
6. Kenny Kay
7. Joanne Vansnick
8. Stacy Dugay
9. Tinisha Marchbank
10. Bonnie Marchbank
11. Tina Durden
12. John McCann
13. Ashley Graham
14. Carol McDonald
15. Erin Doucette
16. Bob Burgess
17. Mark Fournier
18. Ellen Sommerville
19. Dwayne Campbell
20. Andrea Levesque
21. Daniel Dean Sr.
22. Eleanor Fillmore
23. Lucy Marshall
24. Ken MacGavney
25. Preston Chiasson
26. Peter Lai |
27. Jean-Guy Boulay
28. Florent Richard
29. Michelle Kingston
30. Lori Burley
31. Jim Vickers
32. Mike Chittick
33. Bernice LeBlanc
34. Melissa Blyth
35. Glenda Stevens
36. Carrie Sherwood
37. John Van Zuylen
38. Donna Clark
39. Krystal Gogan
40. Linda Mallett
41. Jennifer Ryan
42. David Robichaud
43. Mike Hazlewood
44. Dawn Bell
45. John Wilson
46. Joan Rennick
47. Karen McNair
48. Joe Legault
49. Crystal Hunter
50. Karen Doucette
51. Angela Pugh
52. Angela Sommerville |
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