By Michael McCord
Green Alliance Correspondent
Jason Battistelli, founder and owner of Mirror Image Automotive in Greenland, puts a premium of unparalleled service and value for his growing customer base in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. But he also has ambitions to make his auto body and mechanical repair facility into the greenest shop around.
In addition to helping customers navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of insurance coverage, Battistelli has implemented green plans to educate his customers on the value of small steps while adding more sustainable solutions to paperwork, priming, painting and oil changes.
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“We are taking every green step we can,” said Battistelli who opened his business in Goffstown in 2006 before relocating to Greenland. Jason and his crew recycle everything they can from paper to metal to waste fluids and are moving towards more paperless billing and encouraging the use of recycled parts when appropriate.
“We are using the Cloud more for storage and giving our customers the option of email documentation,” he said. “We use as many green-based cleaning products as we can. And using recycled parts means one less rusting auto part in a salvage or junk yard. When we can do it, it saves the customer money and is very resourceful.”
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Mirror Image also offers the ultimate in sustainable oil changes by using 100 percent biodegradable oil (before engine use) for regular oil changes. “It’s fully synthetic and completely biodegradable derived from plant and animal fats,” Battistelli said. “Cost-wise, it’s similar to many other synthetic oils.”
As the industry offers more green-based solutions to paints and primers, Mirror Image has also added more water-based products with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) mixtures that cut down on chemical use. “We are moving towards as many water-based products as we can. Part of this is cost but we have seen costs drop each year. For the past 18 months we’ve used low VOC products for some of our primer surface jobs and they do an outstanding job,” he said.
Mirror Image is a business partner of the Green Alliance, a Portsmouth organization representing over 100 local green businesses, along with more than 3,500 consumer members. Battistelli said sustainability progress is more than paperless options or water-based primers and paints. Mirror Image has started sharing green tips to help customers take immediate action to maximize the resourcefulness of their automobiles while making sustainable choices.
The tips include:
Slowing down can equal big savings. “Just a quick burst of speed can sharply decrease your miles per gallon value,” he explained. Every mile you go over the speed the limit is the equivalent of adding 20 cents per gallon to your fuel cost.
Take out extra weight from the car.
Use the air conditioner only when necessary. Using the air conditioner increases Co2 discharges and decreases gas mileage by 20 percent.
Drive “green wave style” when possible by approaching red lights slowly to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting. Starting from 5 mph will save 20 percent of gas versus starting from a full stop.
Tighten your gas cap after refueling. Even slightly unsealed gas caps can lead to loss through evaporation of up to 80 gallons annually.
“I don’t believe that huge companies alone can do it,” Battistelli said. “If everybody did a lot of smaller things, we believe that will make a larger and more sustainable difference.”
Learn more about Mirror Image Automotive at www.mirrorimageautomotive.com
For more information on Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz
