With the world's attention focused on Glasgow, Scotland, and COP26, it seems appropriate to review what part we're trying to play in reducing our environmental impact here at Pacific Motorsports.
First Business in Portland with Renewable Power
When we acquired our building and relocated to our present location in 2004 in PGE’s service area from Pacific Power’s, we requested that our electricity come from 100% renewable power. Their response was that the reason I had it at my house was that it was only available for residential customers, that there was no such program for businesses. Our response, “You know you’re going to have a renewable power program for businesses someday, so why don’t you tell the higher-ups that there’s someone on Powell Boulevard that wants it now. Put it together and we’ll be your first client.” Six weeks later the documents to sign up for the program were on our fax machine. That was over 17 years ago, and we’re proud of our leadership in this area and that Portland General Electric finally launched a renewable energy program for local businesses as a result.
6 Ways We Are Reducing Our Environmental Impact
Specialty Recycling Dumpsters
As anyone that has ever ordered anything from Amazon knows, containers and packing material have become an issue in the waste stream. We pay to have a special dumpster exclusively for cardboard that is filled with these boxes and shipped off for recycling.
Our Batteries Are Remanufactured
Automobile batteries are shipped back to the manufacturer, where the carcasses are cleaned and remanufactured.
Coolant Is Remanufactured / Oil Is Recycled
Coolant, also known as antifreeze, is also remanufactured and resold by the recycler as “Green Coolant”. Unfortunately, as with the recycled motor oil, it does not meet our rigorous standards here at Pacific Motorsports, so we are unable to use it ourselves.
Tires Sent To Specialty Recycler
Old car tires, which are a major waste problem, are hauled away by a specialty tire recycler. The tire recycler grinds them up to be used for rubber playground surfaces, asphalt repair modifiers, civil engineering applications, and other appropriate uses.
Reduced Energy Usage
While recycling is good, and we do as much of it as possible here at Pacific Motorsports, reducing our energy usage is also part of our environmental commitment. To that end, we retrofitted our entire building, inside and out, with LED lighting. This project was engineered in conjunction with the Energy Trust of Oregon and has meaningfully reduced our electrical usage, cutting our bill almost in half.
Electric Shuttle Vehicle (BMW i3)
Since a company vehicle is necessary for us in our daily activities, like giving rides to clients and getting parts, we obtained an electric vehicle for this purpose when BMW first released the i3. We have successfully employed this electric car for almost seven years and 35,000 miles so far, and it is charged with renewable power.
Whether it's small things, like the weekly recycling of our office paper, or bigger moves, like reduced energy consumption, we endeavor to be good environmental stewards in everything we do at Pacific Motorsports. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but it’s the right thing.