Looking for other opinions

[Tom Thumb]

Just finished reading Feb. issue of Professional Carwashing & Detailing and appears to me there are more pages with green ink than has been in the past.Seems most suppliers are going to green products they say (bucket lids and lettering are in green now,) but is the product inside any different than before the color was changed to green ?.

In this issue we are ask to join for a small fee WaterSaver's ,the International Carwash Association's environmental recognition and marketing program,( other than getting decals,certificates and copyright agreement to use the WaterSaver's Logo) I have yet to have a customer ask me if we are a environmental friendly carwash, they can see how the wash is keep up and if we are working to keep all waste water entrapped, and not allowing chemical to go into storm drains.
It seems to me that everywhere you look we see green something but the information that follows is only more of what most carwash owners do already. I know the environment is a concern for all including myself, it just appears to me that this green thing is more of a marketing thing than a real concern, reminds me of ( Y-2K).

Am I the only one who feels this way, or am I odd one here?

 

[Reds]

I believe that a lot of companies and organizations feel that more people are basing their decisions on environmental factors. So they see where the crowd is going and try to get ahead of it. I think that a lot of this is simply posturing with no change in products or methods. I am as environmentally sensitive as anyone else but I agree with you, and am not joining the stampede.

 

[Red Baron]

I find the green articles annoying - I skip right past them. Not that it's not an important issue, I just think this industry, like others, give it more space than it needs.

I know the vast vast vast majority of my customers don't give a flip about it. If they did, the charity washes and mobile washes wouldn't be around.

 

[mjc3333]

I agree that the environment is an issue that has broad implications when it comes to conservation, however, the current chemicals we already use claim to be "biodegradable" in some form or the other: to what extent, I do not know. Having any chemical that is not 100% from 'nature' is not really 'green' at all. The chemical co. is joining the band wagon. There is only so much the 'green' products can tout without sacrificing effectiveness. Conserving the natural resources water, gas, electric, etc. to me is more 'green' than any chemical could ever be.

 

[mac]

I have always been amused by some claims of natural ingredients. Hey, EVERYTHING we use to manufacture things comes from nature. Unless you bring back material from another planet or asteroid, it's all natural ingredients. Wake up America.

 

[rph9168]

I think few customers go to a wash because they are "green" and much of the marketing done by some companies really seems more like hype than reality. While it might make some customers feel a little better about using a wash I doubt it figures heavily on which wash they use. The real issue with the majority of customer is whether their vehicle is clean and dry.

There are some new chemical formulations on the horizon that are more "green" than what is out there now because they use renewable resources in the products, not hydrocarbons or distilled spirits. Since they will probably be a little more expensive it will be interesting to see how many operators will want to use them as part of their "green" campaigns. That should be a better indicator of the value of being "green".

 

[Waxman]

I'm in a hick town and I mean that in a loving and respectful way.

My customers aren't washing w/me cause I am green but because their car is dirty and I gots the soapy hot water!

Being 'Green' is an important piece of the puzzle and yes folks like to feel like they are doing the right thing; it's part of what creates an organized society.

Should the whole earth shift to being more 'green'? Sure, definitely. Should we as operators do our part? YES. BUT, we all need to do it in our own way and spend our ad $$ wisely so we can be in operation long enough to actually make a difference by being 'green'.

 

[pitzerwm]

Anything that a politician or (Al Gore) endorses, look out!!!!

 

[rph9168]

Gore's involvement has certainly made him "green"!

 

[Greg Pack]

I think we are in a green bubble.