When we hear the word “cars,” green and eco-friendly aren't the first words that come to mind.
But Toyota has taken many proactive green approaches to change such conception by taking energy-efficient and green building initiatives.
Stratford Toyota, a new dealership in Stratford, Ontario, Canada that opened in 2010, is the first Toyota dealership in Canada to receive a gold certification in Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
LEED is a third-party certification and internationally recognized system that promotes green and sustainable building practices started by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000. The key areas for every LEED certification are: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. When a building is evaluated for LEED certification, it receives a score for each area, which is then reviewed independently and audited. To be certified, the buildings must receive a minimum score of 26 out of a maximum 69 points. The platinum level buildings – the highest level of certification – must obtain a score of score of 52 points or higher.
Since its inception, LEED has added other categories such as Commercial Interior (CI) certification and New Construction (NC) certification to accurately reflect the changing state of architecture and green technologies. In Canada, LEED certification is done through the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC); the certification process is adapted from the U.S. system in order to reflect Canadian climates and policies more accurately.
To achieve the gold level certification, the dealership used 28% recycled materials in construction of the facility, which in turn reused over 100 tonnes of construction waste. It also boasts a thermoplastic polyolefin roof, which regulates the building’s temperature by shielding the sun’s rays in the summer and insulating the building during winter months.
Inside the building, it has a storm water cistern recapturing system, which reduces potable city water use by more than 99 per cent. Other water-saving strategies such as low-flow toilets and drought-resistant landscaping keep the total water usage very low and efficient by 84 per cent. Other features like efficient lighting, optimized natural lighting in the building, highly insulated wall panels and in-floor heating helped reduce the energy intake by 37 per cent compared to buildings of similar sizes.
Toyota dealerships in the U.S. have been receiving LEED certifications since 2007, when Patt Lobb Toyota in McKinney, Texas, became the first dealership in the U.S. to receive a LEED silver certification. Currently, there are over 12 dealerships in the nation that have received LEED certification, with five gold certifications and one platinum-certified dealership in Eugene, Oregon (Kendall Toyota).
LEED-certified Toyota dealerships in the U.S:
- Caldwell Toyota, Conway, AR – Gold LEED Certification
- Toyota Phoenix Technical Training Center, Phoenix, AZ – Silver LEED Commercial Interior (CI) Certification
- Toyota Headquarters South Campus, Torrance, CA – Gold LEED New Construction (NC) Certification
- TMA Washington DC Public Relations Office, DC – Silver LEED CI Certification
- Lexus Florida Technical Training Center, Miramar, FL – Gold LEED CI Certification
- Kendall Toyota, Eugene, OR – Platinum Certification
- TLS Portland, Portland, OR – Gold LEED NC Certification
- Lexus of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV-Gold Certification
- Sewell Lexus, Fort Worth, TX – Gold Certification
- Lobb Toyota, McKinney, TX – Silver LEED CI Certification
- Toyota of Rockwall, Rockwall, TX – Gold LEED certification
- Mark Miller Toyota, Salt Lake City, UT – Gold LEED Certification
Further reading
http://media.toyota.ca/pr/tci/en/first-automotive-dealership-in-160081.aspx
