green the color of choice

Susan Fahnestock is used to being an oddity in her line of work. The founder and co-owner of the Green Car Company, a local source of biodiesel, electric and other environmentally friendly forms of transportation, acknowledges that women are definitely a minority in the automobile industry.

Initially she gets plenty of raised eyebrows and skeptical glances when she tells people what she does, but after they hear her glibly cite vehicle fuel efficiency statistics and wax poetically about alternative fuel sources, their jaws usually drop open and their looks turn to awe and amazement.

Coming from a family that owned and operated auto repair shops for years, Fahnestock grew up talking carburetors and transmissions. She never really thought, though, that she would become a grease monkey and instead pursued a degree in psychology at Loyola Marymount University. After graduating, she became an entrepreneur dabbling in various businesses. But, somehow, she couldn't lose the connection she had with cars and she felt herself gravitating towards them, once again."Friends would ask me to accompany them when they wanted to buy a vehicle and when they had mechanical problems, they asked me for help," Fahnestock explains. "It just seemed natural for me."

Flash forward to 2005, when after successfully owning and operating a Volvo sales and repair shop, Fahnestock and her husband Don, together with partner Greg Rock, founded the Green Car Company, and eco-friendly auto dealership. Fahnestock admits that when she first heard about biodiesel, she really didn't pay much attention to it. It had been a long time ago and at the time, she thought it was associated with some type of fringe movement. But then years later, when clients came in talking about wanting to purchase biodiesel cars, she started to pay attention. She did extensive research and learned that biodiesel is an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) certified fuel made in a standardize setting and when used, can reduce carbon emissions by eighty percent over petroleum diesel. Carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gasses contributing to global warming.

Biodiesel is also a great source of agriculture for farmers. "All that I learned pointed to it being an excellent fuel choice," says Fahnestock. She continues, " Global warming concerns prompted me to want to do something to help the environment on a larger scale and the idea of having a company devoted to eco-friendly cars really made sense. I also knew, through all my research, that there wasn't anything out there that fit this niche."

The Green Car Company started with rebuilt Volvos that run on biodiesel or vegetable oil and gradually began adding other fuel efficiency cars, such as the Smart car and electric cars, to their inventory. Currently, the dealership sells twelve types of biodiesel vehicles, all pre-owned, and several types of electric cars.

The biodiesel cars are the top sellers at the company. Fahnestock says, " They're an easier sell because they don't require a life style change. They're a no-brainer. People can seamlessly make the change and happy with the knowledge that these cars are 33% more fuel efficient than their gas counterparts. But, the electric cars are beginning to catch on , too, especially in urban environments
In addition to being a dealership, the company also serves as a repair facility for green (any car that gets at least forty miles a gallon and or uses an alternative fuel source, according to Fahnestock's standard) and not-so-green cars. "In working with people who don't have green cars, the idea is to help educate them how they can be more fuel efficient with the cars they have," explains Fahnestock. There is also a conversion division that revamps vehicles to allow them to run on biodiesel fuel.

The Third main component of the business deals with its educational mission. In an attempt to get the word out about green transportation options, the company attends public events and does outreach in the community. It also sends out newsletters, dispenses information on its website and has recently started the Green Car University, an online resource center and school, with links to books and DVDs devoted to such topics as sustainability, biofuels, global warming and more.

In the near future, people will be able to enroll in one of the university's online classes. Fahnestock emphasizes that the idea is to promote a greener lifestyle and to urge people to make eco-friendly choices. She adds, "We don't have the right to waste resources.

We need to save energy and everyone has to make a serious, conscious choice to adapt to a greener lifestyle. And being thoughtful about the transportation you use is definitely a step in the right direction." And being thoughtful about the transportation you use is definitely in the right direction." Fahnestock is proud to add that the Green Car Company is an environmentally responsible business. It properly disposes the oil from its repair shop, uses a high pressure water cleaning system instead of solvents and also participates in a program to neutralize the carbon dioxide emissions produced from its regular operations.

Since opening its doors less than two years ago, the Green Car Company has seen its sales double.Currently, the company is privately held, but in the next six months, the plan is for it to go public, and add three more locations: San Francisco, Portland and L.A. As twenty percent of the company's business is already from out-of-state, expansion down the West Coast is a natural move. "It's my goal to see more people embrace these vehicles," says Fahnestock. "There's an environmentally friendly car out there for everyone that will suit their lifestyle and values. I see my job as bringing awareness to the mainstream population about how their transportation choices effect the environment and for the future."

Local Entrepreneur Makes Green the Color of Choice