They can repair catalytic converters, oxygen sensors, evaporative emission control systems, and exhaust gas recirculation valves. But, these repairs aren’t cheap. They range in cost from $90 to as high as $1,200.
“What we hear from garages is when customers come in – these are repairs they otherwise wouldn’t prioritize when they are bringing their car to the shop,” said Gillian Greensberg, project coordinator with the Environmental Initiative. “The idea is that this project can come in and make sure these repairs are still happening without being an extra burden on low-income Minnesotans.”
About two thirds of the cars that were repaired through Cars for Neighbors this year also got some kind of improvement through Project CAR.
“Today alone, we had a woman living in a women’s shelter, and we were able to take her older vehicle and do a couple of the repairs [through Project CAR], along with the critical repairs she came in for,” said Joe McKenzie, director of philanthropic partnerships with Cars for Neighbors.
“What’s most important here is that the cars we are repairing are the types of car that produce a lot more of these types of emissions than newer vehicles. We’re targeting the cars that can benefit the most from these types of repairs,” sais Greenberg. It’s currently estimated that 25 percent of cars on the road create 90 percent of car-related air pollution.
And they track their progress. So far, these emission repairs have removed more than four tons of pollutants from the environment, improving air quality for the entire area.
“Most of the pollutants of concern don’t come from the traditional smokestacks, it’s from these types of mobile sources, and small dispersed manufacturing sources that state,” said Bill Droessler, Program Development Officer with the Environmental Initiative. “This is how we’re doing to deal with these kinds of public health issues.”
“With this collaboration, we are allowing these emission upgrades to help run more fuel efficient and cleaner air in Anoka County through our partnership with the Environmental Initiative,” said McKenzie.
The Environmental Initiative currently works with five garages across the state, and hopes to continue to grow the program.
