A Pile of Grease

In the past, I had a conversation with an old farmer about why he bought our biodegradable grease. Over the last 10 years, he has purchased only our Bio-High Temp 180 grease. It piqued my curiosity straight away. “Why grease?” He told the story of how he used an average of 48 tubes of grease on his equipment every year. “That’s almost 500 tubes every ten years. That's a pile of grease,” he said. Then he wondered where all this grease ended up if it wasn't in his fields and ditches. It washed downhill when it rained, and everything that didn't stay on his fields washed into a nearby stream. Eventually, it made its way to a family lake where his grandkids enjoy fishing and swimming. Not good.

There's something to be learned from this old farmer. NASA estimates that 70 million gallons of petroleum are spilled into our environment every year as a result of home petroleum use. It is possible to replace most of these petroleum products with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

A simple way to lower petroleum emissions is to use grease. Replacing it is neither expensive nor difficult. Penetrants, chain or cable lubricants, wire rope lubricants, bar and chain oil, and rust inhibitors are also easy to replace. These products are often called "total loss lubricants" due to the fact that they are completely lost to the environment. Environmental legislation scrutinizes these types of lubricants most closely due to their harmful nature.

Whether you want to get rid of petroleum lubricants in your workplace or home, Renewable Lubricants can help. You can reach us by phone or email with the product you are looking to replace, and we will recommend an appropriate alternative for you.

As my farmer friend pointed out, the land is ours, as are the oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. The grandchildren will one day want to swim and play in them. It is possible for us all to do better for them.