The green trend is red hot
among consumers. Most every major auto manufacturer now offers a hybrid model,
Wal-Mart stocks its shelves with organic products, and San Francisco recently
became the first city in the country to ban plastic grocery bags.
Saving the environment is no
longer exclusive to "tree huggers." Average Americans are beginning
to understand how their everyday actions greatly affect planet Earth.
But how much of a difference
can your dealership make? A big one, say owners who've taken up the cause. You
don't have to change your business model or donate all your profits to the
Sierra Club to be effective. There are simple and affordable ways to go green
in your business.
• Consider alternative
energy sources – Geothermal systems in new construction, while initially
expensive, can save thousands upon thousands in the long haul. A solar
panel-driven electrical system can provide reliable electricity at a fraction
of what public utilities charge.
• Insulate – Older buildings
in particular may be costing you in heating/cooling dollars. Insulate outer
walls and bay doors. Seal gaps between walls and door and window jambs, or any
other exterior opening. Consider new energy-efficient windows.
• Reuse/recycle – Leaving
less of a footprint can be as simple as recycling soda cans or waste paper and
cardboard or old phone books and catalogs or scrap metal from take-off parts
(scrap metal brokers will pay you for your recycled metals) or as complicated
as buying recycled paper to use in the shop. And let’s not forget disposal of
waste vehicle fluids, batteries and filters.
• Kill fewer trees – Switch
paper direct mail campaigns over to e-mail campaigns. Build a Web site that can
serve as your primary advertisement, with locations, business hours, specials
and coupons – the sky is the limit because cyberspace – unlike paper – is
unlimited.
• Plant a tree – In fact,
plant many in your trade area by tying in with local community groups – the
scouts, garden clubs, school groups, local parks departments – and donate
saplings they can plant around town. If possible, spruce up your own lot with a
few well-placed trees.
– Courtesy of the National
Federation of Independent Businesses. For more information on this topic, visit
www.nfib.com.