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Published: May 25 2012

Don't tell Sully Dawson that it's not so easy being green. As the owner of the Eco-friendly Auto Service Center in Fort Lauderdale, Sully believes it's not only easy, but profitable for businesses like his to adopt green policies.

"I tell people if a place a dirty as this can go green, so can they," he says.

TerraChoice, an environmental marketing firm that tracks green-industry trends, has charted a rise in eco-friendly auto centers across the country in recent years. But Dawson's shop goes further than most green outfits.

He recycles and reuses many products – including engine fluids, tires, car-washing detergents, glass cleaners, wheel degreasers and scrap metal. He stores fuel products in 55-gallon drums – as opposed to individual plastic bottles and cans – to cut down on waste. And he also offers customers the option of using re-refined used oil or biodegradable "G-Oil," made from animal fat, instead of regular motor oil.

"We use G-oil, which, if you poured it on the ground outside ...would be biodegraded in 9 days," he explains. "It's made from cow fat. We also use re-refined oil, which is recycled oil. The federal government has been using it for 25 years."

Dawson, an ex-Marine and former Fortune 500 business professional, notes re-refined oil requires 85 percent less energy to produce than virgin oil. "If we switched over to biodegradable or re-refined oil, we could import 55 million [fewer] barrels of oil a year," he says, citing a recent U.S. Energy Department report.

Dawson's operation is South Florida's only "green" auto center certified by the nonprofit Certified Green Partners of Hialeah. It also won a recent Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Emerald Award.

But going green doesn't mean he's had to take a financial hit or charge his customers more for his services than a typical auto service center, he says.

He charges $24.99 for an oil change, which is about average for the region. And he notes some green products – such as re-refined oil – are so reliable and dependable the U.S. military has used them in extreme conditions.

Dawson, who opened his shop two years ago, estimates he services about 10 customers a day. He suggests one reason green businesses are growing in South Florida and across the nation: They do well, by doing good.

"It not only has to be green, but it has to make business sense, too," says Dawson. "But you don't have to change your whole life or business to be green these days."

Eco Friendly Repair Auto Center
1139 E Commercial Blvd., Oakland Park, 33334
954-581-1747, www.ecofriendlyautocenter.com