It's not always what you drive but how you drive it and how you maintain it. Eco-friendly auto shops are appearing nationwide and offering green tune-ups.
Think recyclable windshield wipers, biodegradable engine additives, recycled motor oil, low-VOC paint and non-toxic shop cleansers.
"It's a dirty business, and we want to be in a constant state of learning [about] how we lighten our environmental impact," said Ryan Ferrera, CEO and "chief car hugger" at Green Garage, which opened its first shop in Boulder, Colo., in 2009 and a second shop in Denver last December.
These new eco-friendly tune-ups have spawned dozens of green auto products — from EcoTouch, a non-toxic automotive cleaner, to MicroGreen oil filters promising lower oil consumption.
At Green Garage customers pay $70 for the "Drive Good" green tune-up package, which includes an oil filter that lasts up to 6,000 miles and biodegradable oil that lasts up to 24,000 miles. The priciest package, called "Drive Epic," costs $300 and includes an oil change plus a biodegradable engine additive, nitrogen-filled tires, energy-efficient spark plugs that promise to lower emissions up to 25 percent and an "energy intervention inspection" that gives you the lowdown on how you can save on fuel consumption.
With its hip and minimalist décor, Green Garage aims to shake up the image of a repair shop. It hires "car huggers," "greens-keepers" and "smileage reps." It bans Styrofoam cups for coffee. Employees ride bikes and mopeds to pick up customers' cars and then deliver them once they're finished.
The important fact too is that the Denver garage revenues have been doubling every 60 days since the shop opened a few months ago, and sales have gornw 400 percent in Boulder over the past year. Impressive. And with a review like this, I can see why they are growing so fast: "'I totally believe in it now,' Nooning said. 'As long as Green Garage stays in business, I probably won't go back to a typical dealership.'"
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