When most customers take in their vehicle for servicing, they don’t think of auto repair shops as environmentally friendly. Yes, they expect auto shops to recycle batteries, tires, and oil. But beyond these few (but still critical) items, car dealers and auto repair companies are not known as the poster children for protecting our planet. However, for over 40 years, BA Auto Care has worked tirelessly to reduce its carbon footprint, proving that auto repair companies can also be stewards of the environment. Every day, we work at turning the dirty side of our business into a case study for keeping a clean, environmentally friendly workplace.
Here are 10 things we do to reduce our impact on the environment:
- Every oil container is drained for at least 48 hours to remove every drop of oil so not one drop of oil goes into the environment.
- Every watt of energy used in our facility comes from the185 solar panels on the roof of our building.
- Over 60% of the lighting in our workshop is provided through solar light tubes. In addition to environmental savings, this “natural” light is beneficial to the health of our employees.
- Light levels are controlled to ensure a constant light level from the LED lighting. This saves energy by turning off light tubes as the sun rises.
- The .8 acres of property surrounding the BA Auto Care building is bay wise landscaped to provide a home for native plants that attract pollinators and other wildlife.
- The landscaping is low maintenance and designed to soak up rain even from the street where we are located.
- To cut down on energy use and to improve the quality of life we have operated a 4 day week for employees with long commutes.
- During the summer we have utilized the flower containers to grow tomatoes that are enjoyed by our customers and staff (And the occasional deer:).
- Our courtesy shuttle is an electric vehicle and it’s used power from the solar panel to transport our customers to and from work and home for over 2 years (45,000 miles).
- We support community organizations with environmentally friendly projects, “Girls on the Run” showing them how to reuse coffee cups as seed planters. The Community Ecology Institute in Renovating a greenhouse nursery tunnel.
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2338″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” el_class=”blog-post_img”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2339″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Earth Day 2020 is Wednesday, April 22. The theme is “Climate Action.” Let’s work together to keep our planet healthy and safe for our children and our children’s children. In the words of former First Lady Bird Johnson, “The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”
