Green Strategies
34-36 Thinking Green Feat 2 4/11/14 3:00 PM Page 34
Green Thinking
BY MICHAEL FREEZE MFREEZE@ENGINEBUILDERMAG.COM
Discovering Ways for Using Less to Do More
T
here are several memes associated with “going green.” For some, an image of a person donning a tide-dye shirt while holding up a peace sign may come to mind. For shop owner Stan White, that person’s in clean business attire. “A nicely dressed woman comes to my shop with a smile on her face,” said White who owns RLD Performance in Temecula, CA. “I’ll ask her ‘How may I help you?’ She replies, ‘I’m here for an audit.’” Those are the words that give shop managers and owners like White pause. Located in California, engine shops like White’s go through
an intensive inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resource Board (CARB) gauging the businesses’ energy efficiency. The compliance tests cover a wide array of issues for regulation including battery storage, floor drains, parts cleaners and wastewater. Rest assured, White sees that his shop is in full compliance with U.S. and state code, although it’s not exactly a favorite part of his ownership. “Regulation is not fun. We are getting so overregulated,” White said about his shop that deals in research and development for various
racing teams. “We have been practicing green forever. We use California-legal fluids and dispose of our waste in a legal, green manner. As a matter of routine and habit because we have to do it.” While having the seal of green approval provides many benefits for the environment, it also brings a set of problems for some engine shops, White noted. “It’s not the same as it was 20, 30 years ago. You have to maneuver around regulations and it’s hard to do it efficiently,” he said. “Now, you’re tied up with audits and visits from people hounding you. Then,