Enviromental Sustainability

Sustainability is no longer considered a fringe activity.  Despite the politics around global warming and other issues, “green” corporations and a large segment of the world citizenry have raised the priority of conserving resources in all segments of society.  During these extremely challenging economic times, the call for green products, green business practices and green progress has not waned.  If anything, the momentum for the greening of America is at an all-time high.  In the recent report, “The Greening of Corporate America 2009 – The Pathway to Sustainability - From Strategy to Action,” results confirm that corporations are voluntarily increasing engagement in sustainability initiatives. NADA has made efforts to educate dealers on green issues and LEED continues to provide leadership for green building systems 

Sustainability is explained in an entertaining YouTube video titled Sustainability enplaned through animation. Click here to see this informative video.

Harvard Business review has developed an educational view of sustainability and how it relates to this and future generations. From the video location other related case studies and articles on sustainability are available. Go to the Harvard Business review by clicking here.

The Sustainability Movement reported in the recent “The Reporting of Corporate America 2009 - The Pathway to Sustainability - From Strategy to Action” which surveyed firms accounting for 75% of the U.S. equities market, revealed:

1. 76% expect sustainability efforts to retain and attract customers and to drop the cost of doing business
2. Nearly a third report dedicated funding for sustainability
3. 70% report that their firms employ three or more sustainable practices

The report concludes that increased regulation is likely to occur and firms should look for opportunities to position themselves ahead of regulation.

 NADA has taken a position in educating dealers on topics relevant to the dealer community.   The 2006 publication, “A Dealer Guide to ENERGY STAR – Putting Energy into Profits”, is a comprehensive primer describing the opportunities to save energy and reduce utility costs, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  It is a good self-help guide for the dealer who can grasp that there is a real value to energy conservation in facility and building systems, and who will take the initiative to reach out to his or her employees to build a culture around green practices.   In addition, the more recently published “The GREEN Campaign – A New Car is a Green Car” takes the focus one step further with a toolkit to help the dealer raise public awareness around their “Green” initiatives and accomplishments. 

 Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.  These guides are valuable resources and are foundational in a dealership’s green retail position.