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Why do you think that Mother Nature is angry with the auto industry?
Building and driving cars takes a heavy toll on the earth. It is estimated, for example, that transportation alone is responsible for 25% of the world's carbon emissions. We recognize the impact and want to minimize it. The current environmental load of cars is not sustainable. And we know we're part of the problem. So we're trying to change the industry from the inside.
What have you done with your land that is different than the typical dealership?
The only green you'll find anywhere at most dealerships is a weed poking through the asphalt. Planet Subaru, the largest Subaru dealership in New England, is situated on almost 11 acres. But we set aside over half this acreage of prime real estate as a nature preserve for landscaping and undisturbed forest. When we moved in, we planted hundreds of trees in addition to the thousands of mature trees that were already here. From Route 53, Planet Subaru looks more like a country club than a car dealership. We even planted hardy grass and wildflowers that never require any watering, fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides. Rather than secure the perimeter of our property with an ugly fence, we promote the growth of black raspberry and other thorned bushes in a buffer zone between the cars and the forest around us.
What have you done with your building to achieve 30% energy savings?
We engineered the building to minimize impact. For example, we use no heat or air conditioning a good part of the year by relying on operable windows, passive solar heat, block wall construction, and river rock on our roof to reduce thermal loads. We upgraded all our outdoor lighting with high intensity discharge systems (like those purple headlights on luxury cars) and replaced much of our indoor lighting with T8 high-efficiency systems.
What kind of savings are we talking about?
When the US Environmental Protection Agency awarded us with their 2007 Energy Star Small Business Award, they calculated our savings: Planet Subaru is saving more than $22,000 annually by saving 125,000 kWh of electricity, more than 1,300 therms of natural gas, and preventing about 220,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere (that's 110 tons!).
Does your commitment to the environment mean your prices are higher?
No. In total, our efforts are expense neutral. We use savings in some areas to offset extra cost in others. It's true that some things we do just cost more-recycling our car wash water, for example, is more expensive than just flushing it into the septic system. However, planting hardy grass and wildflowers, for example, saves us a fortune in sprinkler systems, water, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, and grass cutting. One of the unfair raps on the environmental movement is that respecting Mother Nature is bad for business. Every day we are proving that environmental responsibility can be good for business. Over the long term, there will be no economy if we don't take sensible action now.
How about other kinds of pollution?
We try to look at everything through an environmental filter. Unlike other dealerships that pipe their car wash water into a septic tank or town sewer, we recycle ours. We use "full cutoff" light shields on our lot lights to minimize light pollution, the bane of stargazers everywhere. We use no external paging in order to reduce noise pollution.
How does your recycling commitment exceed that of the typical dealership?
Oil filters are a good example. An oil filter retains half an ounce of oil even after draining it because the filter matrix is absorbent. Many places throw them in the trash, along with the residual oil. 312 business days per year, times 20 oil changes per day, times half an ounce is almost 200 gallons of oil we keep out of landfills (and ultimately, groundwater) every year.
Why are Subarus better on the earth than other cars?
Most Subarus are rated for highway fuel economy in the upper 20s, with some in the 30s. Also, they are engineered to last. In fact, the average Subaru customer keeps her car 7.2 years and then some rock climber in New Hampshire buys it and drives another 7! Also, Subaru operates the only auto manufacturing plant in the country that generates zero landfill waste.
What do you do with trade-ins that are the end of their lives?
We donate cars to the Special Olympics, and facilitate the donations by customers of hundreds more. Their recycler drains all the fluids, disassembles the vehicles, sells useful parts, and recycles the rest. (Plus, our customers get a tax deduction and the Special Olympics uses the proceeds to fund their good work.) To learn more, visit recycleforgold.org.
Planet Subaru - your undealership
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