We’re building a 100% Carbon-Neutral Vehicle Fleet by 2025
Come be a part of it!
The ‘Transportation’ sector of our economy produces about 29% off all greenhouse gasses, so as an environmentally conscious company it’s painful to advocate fighting Climate Change while working on internal combustion engines. But in America right now about 85% of us own cars, so even with the rise of EV’s there will be few alternatives to 
driving these carbon geysers for many years to come. We plan to be part of the Transportation sector for many years to come, but we’ll do what we can to make our corner of it cleaner while we’re here. We started by creating a one-of-a-kind Carbon Neutral Program so clients could offset their carbon production while getting discounts on shop services. Now, we’re taking the leap to build a fully carbon-neutral client vehicle fleet… we invite you to be a part of it!
There’s no way to eliminate the carbon production of your vehicle, but you can reduce it by keeping your vehicle maintained in top shape. (We like to think we’re very helpful in that!) You can go even further by buying Carbon Offsets for your vehicle’s fuel usage. Carbon offsets fund carbon-reduction projects in proportion to the amount of carbon your vehicle (or other sources) produce.
In 2007 we created a one-of-a-kind program to help our clients drive carbon-neutral by offering a 10% discount on shop Labor charges for a year if they bought carbon offsets for their vehicles. (We’d call it ‘industry-leading’, but unfortunately, no one else in the industry seems to be following. Yet.) Since then, members of our Carbon Neutral Program (CNP) have offset over 2,070,000 pounds of carbon pollution in our atmosphere! That’s an amazing achievement and we’re grateful to (and proud of!) all our clients who made it possible!
But we still have clients who aren’t CNP members… time for that to change! Tom Dwyer Automotive is committing to having ALL OUR CLIENTS, well over 3000 people, enrolled in our CNP by January 1, 2025! It’s a big goal, some would say almost unobtainable, but if We As Humanity want to save our planet as we know it, then We As Individuals have to set ‘unobtainable’ goals… and achieve them. We’re going to be doing everything we can over the next 5 years to bring you into the CNP family.
We lowered the CNP Membership prices temporarily last year, but now we’re making it permanent…
Sippers (hybrids, electrics, etc)- JOIN FOR $20
Drinkers (most types of cars)- JOIN FOR $40
Guzzlers (SUVs, land yachts, etc)- JOIN FOR $60
In today’s world, every action is scrutinized for hidden motives and hypocrisy. ‘Green’ companies have a special obligation to show they’re really trying to make a difference instead of just ‘greenwashing’ to sell products. That’s why you should know WE DO NOT MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING THESE CARBON OFFSETS. There’s no markup. We don’t take a cut, we don’t get a kickback, we don’t make a dime. In fact, we lose money on each membership… the 10%-discount-on-Labor-Charges comes straight out of our pocket for the whole year of your membership, and we’re very glad to do it. All funds go directly to Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to support carbon-reduction projects in the Northwest and beyond. BEF provides products, services, and programs to help businesses address their environmental footprint through renewable energy, carbon offsets, and other means. To learn more about BEF and their mission, check out their website at B-E-F.org.
BECOME PART OF OUR 100% CARBON-NEUTRAL VEHICLE FLEET!
It’s easiest to sign up next time you’re in the shop, but we can handle everything through the mail as well. We’ll need a check for $20, $40, or $60 PAYABLE to BONNEVILLE ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION. Please mail it to Tom Dwyer Automotive, 530 SE Tenino St, Portland, 97202, (attn Charles) and we handle it from there. If you have any other questions, our non-commissioned Service Advisors are always ready to talk with you about our CNP, your vehicles, or even life’s annoying other questions. Give ’em a call!
Carbon Neutral Program Milestones
October 2007- Tom Dwyer Automotive Services starts its Carbon Neutral Program.
December 2008- Clients reach 1 million pounds carbon offset
December 2016- Clients reach 2 million pounds carbon offset
October 2019- Prices for carbon offsets temporarily reduced 20-30%
February 2020- New, lower pricing made permanent!
Digging Deeper…
Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, 2017
Science and History of Climate Change- Learn the science without the hype… from either side
This is our flagship article on Climate Change. It includes to a variety of sources that will lay out the problem at whatever level of complexity you’re comfortable with. Particularly useful is the debunking pages for arguments around Climate Change. Not all arguments of the Denialists are ridiculous on their face; some may sound like they make sense. This resource will explain how and why they’re still wrong.
What Does It Mean To Step Lightly? Understanding your carbon footprint
The reality of Climate Change is scary, but responsibility obviously can’t be laid at the feet of any one individual. We all contribute to the problem, but by how much? That’s the idea of a Carbon Footprint; it’s the amount of carbon YOUR individual activities create. This article has a much more in-depth discussion of Carbon Footprint, along with links to calculate yours.
Shrinking Your Footprint- What are those carbon offsets you keep hearing about?
You know the problem, your know your role… what do you do? Carbon offsets don’t prevent you (or your vehicle) from polluting, but they give you a way to balance your carbon output with carbon cuts elsewhere. It’s a free-market solution to Climate Change, and while it’s hardly a full solution it’s a good place to start.
