We have made a substantial effort to do everything within our power to minimize our impact on the environment. We also believe that it is good business to do so. Through planning and management, we have made conscientious decisions that will promote a clean environment and reduce our costs.
In today’s world, it would be impractical not to have an automobile. We would hope everyone would take the responsibility to minimize their impact on the environment. Many wonder if we can really make a difference. Positively, we think that we can. As knowledgeable adults, we would not want to knowingly waste money or time, and it should hold true that we should not unwittingly be disrespectful of our environment. We work with our children to teach them to stand tall and do what is right; yet as adults, we have allowed complacency to become a way of life. There are many simple things we can all do to minimize our impact on our environment. But we must act. If we do not show responsibility and leadership, then what a poor legacy we leave our children.
Time Columnists, Jeffrey Kluger and Andrea Dorfman sum it up as follows: “For starters, let’s be clear about what we mean by saving the earth.” The globe doesn’t need to be saved by us, and we couldn’t kill it if we tried. What we do need to save…and what we have done a fair job of bollixing up so far…is the earth as we like it with its climate, air, water, and bio-mass all in that destructible balance that best supports life as we have come to know it. Muck that up, and the planet will simply shake us off, as it’s shaken off countless species before us. In the end, then, it is us we're trying to save and while the job is doable, it won’t be easy.
The environment and economics are two powerful forces affecting all of us. Too many times, we have tried to exclude one in favor of the other. Individuals from both extremes have hurled accusations, and the results have been counter-productive. There is nothing mutually exclusive about these forces, and with our ingenuity, a genuine commitment, and leadership, we can improve our environment. Further, we realize that we must consistently strive to reduce our operational costs so that we are competitive in the market place. We are confident that we can do this and continue to pass our savings on to our customers as well as setting a new standard in the industry to be environmentally conscientious.
I love the outdoors as I am sure many of you do too. I am grateful for the environmental concerns raised in the 60’s against large corporation and municipalities disposing of their wastes in our rivers, lakes and oceans. We have made some progress, but more is necessary.
At El Dorado Motors, we began with our landscape design. By using the “smartscape concept” developed by the North Texas Council of Government, plants were used that were extremely well suited for our area and were not high water consumers. A large number of the plants have the Texas A&M designation of “Earth Kind or Texas Super Star.” Additionally, input on plants from the Heard Museum in McKinney was beneficial as was Neil Sperry’s Classic book, Texas Gardening. As an example, Buffalo Grass will be mowed only 6-10 times annually, compared to 36 times for other types of grasses. This type of grass also requires less water and fertilizer. Further, our irrigation system complements our smartscape plan by having pressure regulated heads that maximize the water going into the green areas rather than into our automobile inventory or on the concrete.
Secondly, we have started a major re-cycling program. We will try and reduce our solid waste disposal by 35% this year through re-cycling. Further, there are many products that your car will use that are essential to its performance, and if improperly disposed of, will harm our environment. This is a cost to all of us, yet is often overlooked.
We welcome the opportunity to be of assistance to you and your families and will help you dispose of oil, batteries, tires, and any other related materials. We feel there is a relationship between the dealership, our customer base, and our environment. We are here to help minimize our impact on the environment and are willing to assist our customers in joining our efforts.
We salute Honda and Toyota’s ingenuity in developing hybrid battery/gas vehicles. These vehicles will fill a need for a select market. There is even greater promise of the development of a hydrogen fuel cell by General Motors that would omit only water from its tail pipe. This is the leadership and ingenuity we need on the manufacturing level.
I am not sure what the future holds. We as a company do not have all the answers. We realize we have much to learn. We are committed to doing everything we can to being supportive of our environment. We will continue to expand our undertakings and are open to suggestions. Finally, it is our hope is that we will have cleaner roads, greater bio-diversity, and that we all take individual responsibility to minimize our impact to our environment in an effective manner so that our children breathe cleaner air.
|