“Being sensitive about the environment is good business!”, reads the first line of a local article provided by the City of Eugene in their Public Work's Stormwater Connections quarterly publication. I couldn't agree more. The article highlights a collaborative effort by the Northwest Automotive Trades Association and the Lane County Pollution Prevention Coalition (P2C) to establish business practices that reach the highest standards in minimizing their environmental impact. In the first year of the program five auto repair shops went through an inspection by the P2C to become Eco-Biz certified.

The following auto shops in Lane County have taken voluntary, extra steps to be certified as an environmentally-friendly Eco-Biz.

• Autohaus
• Euro Asian Automotive
• Mac's Radiator & Repair Inc.
• Small World Auto Center
• Wayne's Garage

When it comes time to service our car, I will be looking for this certification from the shop that I have do the work. I am also looking forward to other businesses joining this program. This appears to be a great way to support sustainable business practices.

While researching this post I found the Oregon Environmental Council's web site. They provide practical information in a section called Drive Green Save Green focused on helping people make better eco-friendly choices related to their use of a car. Some of those choices will save a car owner money and therefore deserves a place here at Green Capitalism. There are two specific links that I want to highlight at their site. The first, is the one related to driving less. The other is their link to a 2005 ranking of how socially responsible gas stations are in the opinion of the better world handbook.

I still believe that the best eco-friendly decision would be not to have a car. I don't know what the barrier is to making that sound decision, but it exists. My hope is that the research that goes into writing for Green Capitalism prompts me to take a deeper look at my choices and leads to more sustainable decisions.