Honda's Green Dealer Initiative

Honda has many environmental initiatives that it practices in its own facilities, but has also helped spread its philosophy of Blue Skies For Our Children throughout its supply chain, including auto dealers. In 2012, American Honda launched its Green Dealer program to help independently owned and operated Honda and Acura dealers quantifiably reduce their environmental impact.

The program gives Environmental Leadership Awards to dealers that have significantly reduced their impact on the environment, using a point system that rewards adoption of relevant environmental improvements and reductions in energy consumption.

At the end of FY15, 293 Honda and Acura dealers in the U.S. were enrolled in the program, and 67 of those had received an award – a 131 percent increase from 2014. In addition, two dealers have achieved Electric Grid Neutral status, meaning that the dealership generates more energy through its on-site efforts than it consumes. Some of the steps dealers have taken to meet these initiatives include:

• Replacing lighting with low-energy lamps
• Installing motion sensors that turn off lights when not in use
• Installing more energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment
• Adding rainwater collection systems and planting native vegetation to reduce irrigation needs
• Installing solar panels