The Pollution Prevention Outreach Team (P2O) wishes to acknowledge and congratulate TVG Inc. as a certified Eco-Logical Business auto shop.

Bo Neill and Curtiss Potter are co-owners of TVG Inc. Bo, jokingly, says that the "TVG stands for the Tall Volvo Gods". They have exclusively repaired Volvos for the last fifteen years. The building, located within a complex on SE 12th was formerly known previously as the Volvo Garage.

Bo has been a mechanic for the better part of twenty-six years and Curtiss has been in the business for twenty-eight years. Neill now runs the shop and Potter runs the office. Filling out the staff is three mechanics and a bookkeeper.

They've been recycling for years so it comes naturally at work and at home. As of member of the Pacific Auto Trades Association (NATA) Bo heard about the Eco-Logical Business Program and thought it was a natural fit for their business philosophy. Jim Hauser from the Hawthorne Auto Clinic originally got Bo Neill involved in the program.

As a member of Pacific Auto Trades Association (NATA), he is on the constant look out for more and better ways to manage his business in an environmentally correct manner.

Bo says that he and Curtiss have been trying to change the image, from the inside out, of a "bunch of grease monkeys working on cars" because it is no longer a viable image of the industry. The technology and professionalism of the auto repair industry has changed dramatically over the years. Computers track all of the repairs and inventory. The only hard copies generated are those for the customer exclusively.

Recycling is evident throughout the shop. Spencer takes their oil filters and used oil. Anti-freeze is recycling on site. Metal, cardboard, scrap paper and office paper are recycled.

Bo is proud of the eight year old parts washer that has replaced the previous petroleum based parts cleaner. The parts washer is like a large dishwasher that recycles 55 gallons of water in 180-degree two-hour process that cleans the parts and recaptures the water. Through a mechanical detergent action, oil is skimmed down to sludge They take the sludge to Metro as part of its CDG Hazardous Waste Collection Program. This process has eliminated the need for a solvent tank. Bo feels that have invested heavily to capture the ecological certification. Heavy three-hole binder manuals keep their skills sharp in this constant evolving industry with an ecological bent.

For fun, Bo volunteers his time as a sailing crew member in Sound Experience, a schooner based in Seattle. Sound Experience takes primary age children for a marine biology experience out into Puget Sound. Bo feels he is making a difference in future ecology by working with Sound Experience.

ECO-LOGICAL BUSINESS PROGRAM

The Eco-Logical Business/ Automotive Services Program is a joint project of the Automotive Service Association, the Pacific Automotive Trades Association, AAA of Oregon/Idaho and the Pollution Prevention Outreach Team (Portland, Gresham, Clackamas and Washington counties, United Sewerage Agency, Metro and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality). This program recognizes businesses that reach the highest standards in minimizing their environmental impact.

BENEFITS TO CUSTOMERS AND THE COMMUNITY

• Certified Eco-Logical Business exceeds local environmental requirements and insures that Best Management Practices are followed.
  
• Certification assures customers that the business has taken the necessary steps to reduce water and air pollution, hazardous and solid waste.
  
• Certification of Excellence Award for responsible environmental management notifies the community that shops care about the environment.
  

BECOME OR FIND A CERTIFIED ECO-LOGICAL BUSINESS

Automotive Shops

For an Eco-Logical Business Keep Your Shop In Tune manual or to schedule a certification visit to learn about ways to reduce pollution and cut costs, call 503.823.7807.

Auto Shop Customers

For a list of certified Eco-Logical Program auto shops, visit www.ecobiz.org/autolist.htm