| My boss is an interesting guy to work for. My | | | | another mans' car recycling plant, I guess. |
| bosses' name is Terry Gray, he has just turned | | | | Now if all of this sounds a little crazy, and I must |
| 62, and he has big ideas. His latest idea is to drive | | | | admit to being a bit surprised by it all when he |
| around the United States of America for 3 years, | | | | told me, it puts me in mind in a small way of |
| promoting the use of recycled auto parts in an | | | | Richard Branson during the 1980s. Richard Branson |
| RV truck and motor home. He'll be doing this by | | | | didn't have the massive budget required to |
| driving around different auto-recycling association | | | | compete on a marketing basis with British |
| shows and appearing at them with the truck. He | | | | Airways (you might remember the British |
| starts next spring, although he's in the states | | | | Airways adverts with the opera singers and |
| preparing for the event as we speak. | | | | masses of people in funny costumes being filmed |
| While driving around America, my boss has also | | | | from the air), but what he did have was a very |
| set himself a challenge of getting this RV truck to | | | | nice hot air balloon or two. Richard Bransons' |
| achieve a 100 miles per gallon fuel consumption | | | | balloons might have nearly killed him a couple of |
| figure. A standard RV will get you around 8 miles | | | | times, but they gave him gave him news |
| per gallon, they are well known as gas guzzlers, | | | | coverage, and therefore brand exposure across |
| having the aerodynamics of the average | | | | the world. Maybe, just maybe, in a small way, my |
| conservatory, and looking a little bit like something | | | | bosses' RV is his (somewhat safer) balloon - his |
| out of the Mad Max movies - so how is he going | | | | chance to make a small difference, get his truck |
| to achieve that ? Improving the consumption of | | | | noticed in local press across the states, and get |
| any vehicle by 1250 per cent might be a bit of a | | | | people to consider buying used, rather than new |
| stretch for even the most capable engineer - it | | | | parts, the next time they need one. |
| would certainly get them scratching heads down | | | | To quote my boss - "18,250,000 Tons of CO2 |
| at Scrapheap Challenge - speaking of which, The | | | | per year could be saved by the use of |
| RV truck was bought at an auction as a stolen / | | | | Professionally Recycled Auto Parts", and that's |
| recovered vehicle, and all parts on it will be used | | | | just in America. |
| parts, or recycled auto parts as they call them in | | | | Will he make a difference? You don't know unless |
| the US. I suppose you could say that the industry | | | | you try, I suppose. I know that he has a lot of |
| has traditionally had a little bit of an image | | | | friends in the used car parts, sorry, recycled auto |
| problem, it's pretty much the original green | | | | parts, industry in America, and that they will see |
| industry in a way, but public perception doesn't | | | | him well throughout his journey. |
| always see it that way - one mans' car landfill is | | | | |