Green Planet
Subaru store's eco-friendly practices conserve energy, reduce costs

by Laura Clark Geist, Automotive News

When Jeff Morrill, co-owner of Planet Subaru in Hanover, Mass., near Boston, was considering a new location for the dealership six years ago, he didn't want to add another piece of urban sprawl. "We observed that the only green in most dealerships were the weeds poking up from the acres of asphalt," Morrill says. Instead, Morrill and his brother, John, envisioned a new store that not only would embrace the environment but also leave little impact on it. Their goal: Use Earth-friendly practices to conserve energy, reduce cost and leave a better planet for their children. "The mathematics that worked for buildings a generation ago don't work anymore," says Jeff Morrill, 35. "Doing business today means shrinking our carbon footprint and managing our costs better." That vision became reality in 2002 when the Morrill brothers turned a former tire and parts store into a 22,500-square-foot dealership on 11 wooded acres. The Morrills have promised the town of Hanover not to build on half of the property. Five years later, the dealership is being hailed as an innovator in its environmental practices. It also is attracting conservation-minded consumers who want a Subaru by marketing itself as a green dealer through its Web site and sponsorships. "People come in all the time and tell us that they want to do business with us because we are trying to reduce our impact on the environment," Morrill says.

Using natural elements

The site looks more like a country club than a dealership, with the physical plant nestled among the trees. Black raspberry and other thorny bushes serve as a natural security fence and buffer zone between the cars and the forest. The hardy grass and wildflowers that surround the building don't require fertilizer or watering. Not only does the dealership make use of its natural setting, but it also has several features that help meet its Earth-friendly goal. For instance, the building's heating, cooling and outdoor lighting system (including dealership signs) are controlled by a computer that runs those systems according to the time the sun rises and sets. The windows aren't sealed; employees can open them in moderate weather, saving air conditioning costs. The dealership has rocks on the roof that act as a thermal insulator. This helps reduce air conditioning costs and keeps the temperature inside the building more consistent. "If you use common sense in building your building or remodeling your building, you get a pretty quick payback on your investment," Morrill says. The dealership's average monthly cost for natural gas is $1,000, while the average monthly electricity bill runs $2,000. That's a 30 percent reduction from the previous store. In April, Planet Subaru was one of three dealerships selected by the National Automobile Dealers Association and USA Today in their annual innovative dealership awards. This year's award focused on dealerships with innovative programs for energy conservation. Planet Subaru also received one of eight Energy Star small business awards given by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy for 2007. The awards recognize outstanding environmental upgrades.

Reusing resources

Planet Subaru also has adopted an extensive recycling program. For instance, the dealership's car wash equipment recycles its wash water instead of pumping it into a septic tank or sewer. Planet also goes beyond the normal used-oil recycling. It recycles used oil filters. Morrill figures that keeps 200 gallons of oil, which had soaked into the filters, out of landfills and groundwater annually. "There are two primary purposes in all of this: We want to do our part to leave behind a world that our kids deserve to live in, and it just makes good business sense because paying attention to these things lowers cost," Morrill says. "In a mature business like the car business, it's a lot easier to lower cost than increase gross." Morrill says there is a misconception that going green is expensive for businesses. In fact, he calls his Earth-friendly practices "cost-neutral." For instance, the dealership pays more money to recycle wash water but pays less to fertilize and water its landscaping. While the dealership has made great strides in most of its operations, there is room for improvement. For example, the business office uses standard paper rather than recycled paper. And the store's soap products are not among the environmentally friendly brands. Says Morrill: "There is still a lot of opportunity here."