GM and Toyota obliterate green dealership competition

First green cars and now green dealerships, the race is on in the auto industry for green supremacy in the locations that wheel and deal automobiles. What started in 2007 is now just starting to heat up in 2009 wi th competitors joining the trend to transform dealerships into sustainable, energy-friendly facilities.

Over the last few years, reports have emerged of dealerships and automobile manufacturers getting involved with green initiatives, but the planning for this type of change has been ongoing for quite some time. Features of these green initiatives involve everything from rain collection systems to vegetable oil lubricants — pretty much anything that a car company can claim is green.

So who is involved and who is leading the charge?

The main competitors involved in the dealership movement are Toyota, Honda, GM and Chrysler, with a small group of independent dealers getting in the mix. For the most part, many initiatives overlap and share comparable efforts in sustainability, conservation, and reusability, but some have invested more and it shows.

All four architected facilities using skylights to utilize natural light and cut down on artificial lighting. The renovation ultimately cuts costs and provides employee enthusiasm because of the additional Vitamin D. It really was a no-brainer to make the switch.

Each also designed green practices in water treatment and conservation or runoff prevention. GM and Toyota’s facilities, however, lead the pack with highly sustainable efforts in this area.

According to a GM press release, the new GM dealership in Highland Township, MI recycles more than 85% of its car wash water and reuses rainwater for landscaping and irrigation purposes. Similarly, Toyota created a water collection system to use for its car washes and irrigation that also provide for a self-sustaining landscape.

GM and Toyota are using the large scale, popular green practices and putting them into play to save money and better the environment, but they are also using smaller techniques that really make a difference. For example, GM generates energy from their underground wells and Toyota creates less waste with their low-flow toilets and waterless urinals. Additionally, GM uses a geothermal heating and cooling system while Toyota uses a cool-roof system to lower energy dependencies and save on heating.

What really sets Toyota and GM apart from the rest is their LEED Gold Certification. I am not a big believer in third party certifications because some companies buy out all sorts of green labels, but the LEED has a strict set of guidelines and rules that are monitored by industry experts.

The Certification acknowledges that the GM and Toyota dealerships reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, all of which are necessary when striving for sustainability.

Chrysler and Honda’s dealerships offer worthy attempts, but they just do not offer the full package like GM and Toyota. More money and planning for a complete green overhaul will save GM and Toyota in the long run and will hopefully spur other dealerships to start planning for similar initiatives.