Jay Leno Leads By Example

Jay Leno is setting an admirable example for the environmentally aware in his home garage, which he uses to service his enormous collection of cars. Being a millionaire car buff could mean a lot of pollution and energy use, but, as Leno says, "No one cares how much energy you use as long as you make it yourself."

A 54-kilowatt solar panel on the garage's roof, supplemented by a wind turbine, generates almost all of the huge garage's energy. Says the comedian, "I'm almost totally off the grid."

Inside the garage, a water-free foaming hand cleaner, reusable aerosol canisters, and a machine that uses a high pressure sand-and-water jet in place of a metal blade contribute to Leno's environmental efforts. "It creates no pollutants in the manufacturing process, so you can safely drain the runoff," he says. The shining stars of the garage are two deep-cleaning systems for parts such as carburetors. Where heavy-duty solvents once did the job, Leno's ultrasonic cleaner now steps up to the plate. Or sometimes, a vat filled with bacteria that eat oil and grease to reproduce. "These organisms are having sex while my parts are being cleaned," he says. "How fabulous is that?" Pretty fabulous, Jay.

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