Turning its Earth Dreams focus into reality at the dealership level. CleanMPG – Aug. 24, 2017 Rossi Honda in New Jersey goes CO2 neutral in a big way! Honda’s continuing push to minimize the environmental impact of its products in every phase of their life cycle has led to the next phase of its Green Dealer Environmental Leadership Program. This focus is 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. Launched in 2012, the Honda Green Dealer website shows 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. The Honda Green Dealer Program has already reduced dealership CO2 emissions by approximately 19,000 metric tons last year. That's equivalent to 2,800 homes worth of electricity use each year! The program awards participating dealers for 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, Conn., Eastern Equipment in Derry, N.H. and Rossi Honda in Vineland, N.J., 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. The Green Dealer Guide 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.
