Ryan Ferrero, chief executive and founder of Boulder-based Green Garage, doesn’t believe the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius are necessarily the most environmentally friendly options for all drivers. Rather, it’s how you maintain your existing car that matters. And that’s where the Green Garage comes in. “What I felt was lacking was a real transparent and authentic approach to more sustainable or greener transportation,” Ferrero tells Auto Week. “What happened over the next six or eight months was taking this idea of more sustainable transportation and bolting that into this ecosystem that already existed here in Boulder, and it started to catch fire.”

Now, the green garage concept—with the power to take the most environmentally challenged vehicles and improve their performance (from oil made from biodegradable animal fats to nitrogen-filled tires that improve mileage)—is coming to Denver’s Highland neighborhood after finding success in both Boulder and Fort Collins. For a better sense of what these lug-wrench-wielding “car huggers” can do for you, read more about their services in our September 2010 print edition.