Eco-friendly businesses produce green profits in difficult economy

It's not easy being green, and in today's economy, it's not easy earning green, either. But a few businesses have managed to go green, make green and provide eco-friendly services to Boston-area clients.

By Daniel Kobialka
12/8/10

Bonney Automotive steers eco-friendly drivers in the right direction

Massachusetts drivers could argue there are only two seasons in Boston: traffic and construction. But the crew at Bonney Automotive tries to put motorists' minds in cruise control, eliminating their worries by offering eco-friendly services to improve a car's longevity.

Ron Bonney, owner of Bonney Automotive, has been providing eco-friendly services to clients for five years. He said the body shop's services offer long-term benefits to customers. "You can't convince people to get rid of their cars," Bonney said, "but these [services] can help their cars run longer."

Bonney said regular maintenance is important to extending a car's longevity because finding replacement parts can sometimes be difficult. "To get a car company to make a part for a vehicle that there's only 20,000 of, [it's] not into that," Bonney said. "If they don't provide the parts, they know you're going to have to replace the vehicle."

But what eco-friendly services does Bonney Automotive offer? And how do the services work? Check out the summaries below to learn more about green services for your automobile:

Nitrogen Tire Service

Nitrogen is an inert gas, but using it to inflate your car's tires can keep your automobile moving. "There's no condensation [with nitrogen]," Bonney said. "[Using nitrogen] helps on multiple factors." Dry nitrogen is often used to inflate race car, airplane and off-road truck tires because it can help the tires run cooler, maintain consistent inflation and eliminate uneven wear.

Bonney said tests have shown using nitrogen to inflate a car's tires reduces the risk of tire failure, among other things."With a car with aluminum rims, [nitrogen] won't hit the aluminum, which can cause the air to bleed out," Bonney said. "[Nitrogen] also allows rubber to maintain its integrity a lot longer since there isn't water rolling around on the inside [of the tire]."

Many drivers fill their tires with oxygen, but Bonney said they may not understand the importance of tire inflation. Oxygen in compressed air can break through the wall of a tire, reducing its inflation and load capacity. Under-inflation can lead to decreased fuel economy, poor handling and heat build up within the tires.

Bonney said Boston-area body shops continue to use oxygen to fill tires because the cost of purchasing the nitrogen tire-filling station can be prohibitively expensive. "Because of our volume of business, we're able to affect the cost across a much bigger volume," Bonney said. "It makes it better for us and our customers."

Carbon-Clean Service

Bonney Automotive's carbon-clean service purifies a car's fuel system. The body shop uses a carbon-clean machine that flushes a cleaning solution through an automobile's fuel system. In addition, the body shop dispenses a separate cleaning agent into a car's upper intake manifold to remove any harmful carbon deposits. Bonney said the service restores efficiency and improves a car's performance.

Bonney Automotive uses eco-friendly cleaning solutions with its carbon-clean service. The solutions are non-hazardous, non-carcinogenic and non-flammable, gently removing carbon deposits from a car.

Bonney Automotive general manager Joe Teeves said he recommends the carbon-clean service for higher mileage automobiles, but the service can also be part of a newer vehicle's regular maintenance every 50,000 miles. "The cooler a vehicle runs, the less harmful emissions it puts out," Teeves said. "Services like this keep the engine breathing better and running better."

Who says going green will put you in the red? Four local businesses prove eco-friendly practices can yield success in tough economic times.

The staff at Bonney Automotive in Somerville offers a nitrogen tire service that provides long-term benefits to customers. "The nitrogen system allows the tire to maintain stability longer," said Ron Bonney, owner of Bonney Automotive. "[The system] also allows the rubber [of the tire] to maintain its integrity a lot longer. It helps on multiple levels." Bonney said his auto body shop has provided the service for nearly five years, and has performed the service for at least 250 customers since September.

Bonney Automotive gives customers other eco-friendly cleaning options as well, including coolant, transmission and fuel system services. Bonney said many clients have been drawn to the fuel system service. "[The fuel system service] cleans two things at the same time," said Joe Teeves, general manager of Bonney Automotive. "It cleans inside the intake manifold and also the backside of the fuel injectors...The car will run a little bit better, a little bit cleaner, and you'll get better fuel mileage."

But Bonney Automotive isn't the only business going green in Somerville; the crew at Apex Green Roofs builds vegetative roof systems for homes, businesses and schools. Apex Green Roofs provides maintenance for green roofs as well. "Companies build green roofs and don't take care of them or have their normal landscaping people take care of them," said Geoff Arthur, an estimator and green roof designer for Apex Green Roofs. "And things can go pretty wrong."

Apex Green Roofs has been creating green roofs for more than four years. High-profile clients have included MIT, Simmons College of Management and Harvard Business School. "We love doing [work for] institutions," Arthur said. "It's kind of inspirational for students."

But institutions aren't the only beneficiaries of Apex's efforts; the staff planted a 3,000-square foot vegetative roof for the Potter League for Animals, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping animals, two years ago. "[The staff at Apex Green Roofs] did a fantastic job," said Chris Rowe, the organization's facilities manager. "The roof they built did a really good job of filling in on its own."

Rowe said the Somerville-based business planted roughly 20 varieties of plants on its roof. "The roof is absolutely gorgeous during the spring and summer," Rowe said.

Save That Stuff Inc., a Charlestown-based waste management company, has helped Boston-area schools and businesses go green as well. The 20-year-old company collects and recycles cardboard, newspapers and other waste from companies, organizations and institutions. "We saw no one was collecting cardboard and other recycled materials," said Julia Wolfe, commercial waste reduction coordinator for Save That Stuff Inc. "But those materials have value."

Wolfe said the company boasts 3,000 customers and collects 4,000 tons of material each day. In addition, Save That Stuff Inc. picks up compostable materials from 300 Boston-area clients. "We'll do it all," Wolfe said. "We look to pick up waste beyond normal materials."

The staff at Save That Stuff Inc. performs waste-reduction audits for businesses while also educating employees on what it takes to go green. "It's important to give companies and their employees the tools necessary to make better decisions regarding the use of environmentally-friendly products," Wolfe said. "But once a company hires us, we go beyond that."

Hingham-based Green Technology Associates provides clients with support for eco-friendly heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. Greg Carr, vice-president of business for Green Technology Associates, said the firm's emphasis on eco-friendly products has allowed it to be successful in a difficult economy. "This year has been our best year to date," Carr said. "While many companies are going out of business, we're growing."

Green Technology Associates represents six lines of eco-friendly HVAC products. Carr said the five-year-old company has nearly 200 clients. "We stress the importance of sustainability to our clients," Carr said. "We focus on the long-term benefits."

Want to learn more about some of the businesses that promote eco-friendly services? Check out the video below.