First Green Car Dealer Opens

Shouldn't car dealerships be at least as "green" as the cars they're selling? That's the premise behind the recently completed Pat Lobb Toyota dealership of McKinney, Texas, which was designed from the ground up to be the first automotive dealership to seek official LEED (Leadership of Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Now car buyers looking for a Prius, Camry Hybrid, or any of the other 500 Toyotas sold at the dealership can support sustainability even before they take delivery of their cars. 

The 56,123-square-foot, 14.08-acre dealership implemented a number of design elements to reduce its environmental impact. The exterior panels are made of 95 percent recycled aluminum composite material (ACM), while the dealership portal entry is made of special non-lead, energy-saving glass, providing direct sunlight in place of energy-consuming lights. A "green wall" made of Japanese creeping ivy will further reduce energy use as it keeps the building cool by absorbing heat from the sun. An 8,660 gallon water cistern captures and conserves water from condensation generated by 12 rooftop air conditioners and seven interior air conditioners, as well as rain from a rooftop collection system. An on-site car wash reduces the amount of water normally lost in a car wash by 66 percent.