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Smart Car Arrives at Village Green!

Posted on by Paula Gallagher

On our quest to become more “green,” Village Green has done a number of things to reduce our carbon footprint. Some of these include recycling supplement bottles, using real mugs to eliminate our paper coffee cup addiction, and a few years ago we even became the first pharmacy in the United States to go wind powered. (More about Wind Power in an upcoming blog.) Our most recent effort involved getting rid of our older, inefficient, gas guzzling delivery car for the most fuel efficient gas powered car on the market… the smart car fortwo. Village Green smart car The smart car was introduced this year in the United States. It has been popular for years in Europe where gas prices are much higher and the roads are a lot narrower. The makers of smart car (Daimler AG) adhere to strict environmental guidelines in an effort to protect the environment, reduce energy consumption and innovatively preserve our natural resources. Their goals are much in line with our goals at Village Green Apothecary. So besides being cute, zippy, teeny, and uber fun to drive, there are many other qualities that made this two-seater the smart choice for our pharmacy. Here are some of the highlights of Village Green’s smart car. 1. Production: The exterior surfaces are made from a material named Trespa, 80% of which comes from fast-growing European timber. They have eliminated materials like formaldehyde, CFC and asbestos, and after analyzing alternatives, chose 100% recyclable synthetics for things like dashboards and wheel housing covers. They have made the manufacturing plant as eco-friendly as possible by recycling, minimizing waste and heat loss. 2. Environmental Policy: "With our products, we are setting a milestone for environmentally-compatible individual mobility. Every day, we live an efficient and dynamic environmental management system that is aligned towards on-going improvement." They want their suppliers to follow the same motto, believing that we all have to work together to protect our Earth. 3. Great Gas Mileage: According to information obtained on fueleconomy.gov, the smart fortwo is the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline-powered vehicle in the USA today. The smart fortwo is designed to achieve 33 city/41 highway mpg according to 2009 EPA standards, which involves measuring mpg while taking into account real-life driving conditions such as start/stop city traffic, air-conditioning, heating etc. So the next time you see our smart car driving around Bethesda, give Larry (one of our smart guys) a wave and think about how you can reduce your carbon footprint today.
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