Water Star Motors Receives Honors as a Certified Green Business

Water Star Motors Receives Honors as a Certified Green Business

Pictured, Henry and Lisa Carter, owners of Water Star Motors, accept their award from State Assemblyman John Laird.

WORLDPAC customer Water Star Motors, an auto repair shop in Santa Cruz, California, was recently named Small Business of the Year for the 27th Assembly District. The business was given this honor because of its status as a Certified Green Business.

Water Star Motors has long been dedicated to protecting the environment through Green auto repair practices. Prior to their certification, they had already moved away from using solvents to clean parts, opting for an aqueous parts washer instead. They were also advocates of recycling cans, bottles, cardboard, metals, and waste anti-freeze. So, naturally, when the opportunity to become a Certified Green Business materialized, they were pleased to discover that many aspects of their organization already satisfied the obligations of the program. However, Water Star Motors choose to increase their environmentally conscious efforts to become certifiably Green.

To become a Certified Green Business, Water Star Motors collaborated with Ecology Action, a nonprofit environmental consultancy who lent a hand with education services, technical assistance, and program implementation. After meeting at a seminar, Water Star Motors eagerly took advantage of the free technical assistance provided by the program and used it to determine how it could make significant, yet simple, changes to their business practices.

Water Star Motors describes the following enhancement as particularly noteworthy:

“We had an energy efficient lighting program implemented. Overhead lights were switched to highly efficient ballasts and fluorescents. This lowered our electric bill by $60 a month and reduced our energy usage by 4405 kWh/yr! That is a significant improvement!”

In addition to updating their lighting system, Water Star Motors also reduced water usage by putting mulch around the plants in front of their shop, a water restrictor in the sink and a low-flow flapper in the toilet. They also switched to bulk recycled toilet paper.

When Water Star Motors’ transformation was complete, all of the following areas of business had been positively affected in some way:

- Brake service
- Changing vehicle fluids
- Compliance checks
- Employee awareness and training
- Energy efficiency
- Exterior area maintenance
- Floor drains and cleaning
- Parts washing
- Spill prevention control & response
- Solid waste reduction
- Water conservation

For Water Star Motors, it is important that they serve the needs of their customers, but it is equally important that they serve the needs of the environment. The resulting blend of principals promotes a harmonious relationship that allows Water Star Motors to nurture business as well as nature.

To learn more about the Green Business Program and pollution prevention, visit the following links:

Ecology Action
Monterey Bay Green Businesses
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Pollution Prevention Topic Hub: Auto Repair

Visit Water Star Motors here.

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