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| Hawthorne Auto Clinic’s eco-friendly practices change with the times |
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01/08/09
Words/Photos by Ryan J. Prado
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 | | Jim Houser with the plug-in hybrid |
In the late 1970’s, Jim Houser and Liz Dally operated Mom’s Garage, which shared building space with a recycling company run called Sunflower Recycling. The members of the co-op were environmental responsible, and influencing Houser and Dally to adopt similar practices within their own business. “We learned a lot from them,” said Houser. “Our intention had been that if we ever started our own business again [we would] look for ways we could optimize our environmental initiatives and creativity, and minimize our impact.” When the couple purchased the facilities at 4307 SE Hawthorne for Hawthorne Auto Clinic (503.234.2119) in 1983, this consciousness was part of their mission. This consciousness of accountability has made it one of the least impactful automotive businesses in the greater Portland area. The auto clinic’s website lists the steps they take. The shop is “equipped to recycle motor oil, antifreeze, ba | | Installing rooftop solar panels |
tteries, tires, air conditioning refrigerant, and scrap metal, including catalytic converters, in addition to the cardboard, paper, glass bottles, and packaging (including plastics) generated by daily operations. “Engine oil filters are removed to a recycling facility where they are crushed and recycled for their oil and metal content along with transmission, fuel and other filters. Brake lathe turnings are used as an soil supplement.” Houser purchases bulk oil, trimming waste further. The shop offers re- refined automotive antifreeze and SOAR re-refined engine oil. About a decade ago, the Pollution Prevention Outreach Team, (a consortium of environmental regulatory groups including the Ore | | Energy producing rooftop |
gon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, and Washington County’s Clean Water Services) was assembled with the interest of controlling emissions, especially from auto repair, a traditionally high- waste business to be involved in. “Most auto repair shops are small enough that they fall under most pollution regulations, what’s known as ‘conditionally exempt’ from most EPA regulations that would apply to larger companies. But there are so many of those places that the impact can be significant,” explained Houser. The activists didn’t have the authority to step over the EPA and impose greater sanctions, said Houser, so they initiated the voluntary Eco-logical Business Program to control air quality, water quality and solid waste. Houser has served on the program’s advisory committee, and was also the first certified member of the program. Hawthorne Auto Clinic has taken even more steps to curtail their carbon footprint recently. Most of the renovations save the business money in the long run, explained Houser. The recent installation of solar panels has reduced the shop’s electric bills by 30-40 percent, averaged annually. In addition, by participating in PG&E’s Net Metering program, the shop sells unused energy back to PG&E, primarily during the summer with frequent sunny days. “On cloudy days, it’s still generating, just not as much. And we have a lot of cloudy days,” joked Houser. The shop also recently upgraded the Toyota Prius they keep on hand for delivery and pick-up of customers not on bus routes, by installing an auxiliary battery pack, which makes it a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The real gem of the new installations will be the incorporation of a charging station for hybrid and electric cars on the 43rd Ave. side of the building. There remain some hurdles for Houser to jump until this becomes authorized by PG&E and the city of Portland. “If we were going to put one in our parking lot, they could do that tomorrow. But what we want to do is put it out on the street and make it available to people in the neighborhood who have electric or plug-in hybrids,” said Houser. “They’re trying to resolve it. It doesn’t fit into current codes because nobody’s ever done it before.” Houser notes that when his charging station is installed, it will be the first public, non-corporate-owned charging station in Portland. Houser’s philosophy regarding the practices of his business remain firmly principled in a simple ethos. “My wife pointed out that automobiles are ‘mobile hazardous waste generators.’ They have in total a huge negative impact on the environment,” said Houser. “Even when they’re sitting still, but certainly when they’re running or when they’re broken. So to the degree that we can change that, minimize that, and do it in a responsible way and still stay in business, that’s sort of been our focus on how we conduct business. “Anybody who takes on a business like this, that has the potential to be harmful, I think has a responsibility to do everything they can to minimize their impact.” For a complete listing of Hawthorne Auto Clinic’s environmental precautions, visit www.hawthorneauto.com.
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