Building on its commitment to minimize the environmental impact of its products in every phase of their life cycle, Honda launched the next phase of its Environmental Leadership Program, or Green Dealer Program, to provide independently owned U.S. Honda and Acura dealers with new tools to evaluate and measurably reduce energy and water use, saving money while enhancing their environmentally-responsible business operations.
The program, launched in 2012, offers a refreshed website with cumulative CO2 reduction data, an updated Green Dealer Guide, and new benchmark metrics for evaluation, in addition to existing support for data collection, environmental assessment, expert advice, implementation and results verification.
“On an annual basis, the Honda Green Dealer Program is helping to reduce dealership CO2 emissions by approximately 19,000 metric tons. That’s equivalent to 2,800 homes worth of electricity use each year,” said Steve Center, vice president, Connected and Environmental Business Development for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “As our dealers have demonstrated, reducing energy and water use are achievable goals that can save money, address climate change and inspire others to make a difference for the future of our planet.”
The program awards participating dealers at three levels of achievement based on an independent evaluation of dealership performance in the areas of energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, site attributes, and other sustainable best practices.
More than 150 Honda dealers across all product lines, including automobile, powersports and power equipment, have received the Honda Environmental Leadership Award, earning Silver, Gold or top-level Platinum designations. These dealers have collectively reduced CO2 emissions by more than 34,000 metric tons.
Three Platinum Award recipients, Brandfon Honda in Branford, Connecticut, Eastern Equipment in Derry, New Hampshire and Rossi Honda in Vineland, New Jersey have also earned the distinction of being electric grid neutral.
These dealers produce as much or more energy from renewable energy sources than they consume from their local electric utilities over a one-year measurement period.
A major component of the program, and a key to its success, is the Green Dealer Guide. This resource provides step-by-step guidance to implement systems and technologies that help dealers achieve their carbon and water reduction goals. The new version of the guide features updates in the areas of energy, water and site, including:
•Track waste and recycling in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
•Innovative approaches to reduce environmental impact
•Greenhouse gas emission and energy reduction calculation methodologies
•Higher energy efficiency standards for lighting and heating and cooling systems
•Emphasis on water use reductions through efficient water fixtures, use of recycled water, and other conservation measures
•Construction waste diversion for new builds
In preparation for the next stage of the Green Dealer program, Honda collaborated with AutoNation, which has hundreds of dealerships across multiple brands nationwide.
Published in the October 2017 Edition of American Recycler News