Let the greening of Honda dealers commence!, from Technology Tell.
Honda issued a 93-page document titled the “Honda ‘Green Dealer’ Guide” in an effort to help its dealers adopt what it called “more environmentally responsible business practices.”
Of course, the b-side to that goal is to reduce dealers’ costs of doing business, according to the press release from Honda. The release said the guide brings together the company’s experiences over the past three years of helping its U.S. dealers reduce energy consumption through what Honda called the Environmental Leadership Program. The automaker said the program has seen 45 Honda and Acura dealers collectively reduce their annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 5,000 tons and cut their cumulative operating costs by more than $800,000. The carbon dioxide reduction equates to roughly the carbon footprint needed to power 600 average U.S. homes, the release said. Honda speculated if all 17,000 automotive dealerships across the country were to reduce their electricity consumption by just 10%, nearly 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be eliminated annually.
American Honda Environmental Business Development Office Vice President Steven Center said, “In researching existing green building programs, we found there was nothing ideally suited to the unique operational needs of auto dealerships, especially existing dealer facilities. We decided to create a roadmap that any dealer can use to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and cut overhead costs. The bottom line is that green business is good business, and this guide gives dealers the tools they need to become more efficient and profitable at the same time.”