Toyota opens first green dealership in the West

Mark Miller Toyota, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been designed from the ground up with environmental standards in mind and expects to earn a Gold LEED Certification in the near future.

The majority of Mark Miller Toyota’s facility is made up of construction elements that are designed to conserve energy and water. The dealership was built to maximize local and recycled materials.

In building the new dealership, Mark Miller Toyota retained much of the original building on the site to further reduce the needs for new materials in construction. Most of the building waste was recycled. Eco-friendly elements include:

• A high-performance, high-efficiency heating and cooling system;
• Innovative sun-tracking skylights to optimize natural daylight use to lower interior light use;
• A cool-roof system to lower the overall heat that comes off large buildings;
• Self-sustaining landscaping that requires a minimal amount of water;
• Low-flow faucets and toilets as well as waterless urinals to conserve water and use of 300 MPH paperless hand dryers;
• A cistern system to collect and store rainwater and air conditioning condensation for irrigation and for washing cars;
• High-speed glass service bay doors to reduce heat and cold loss from service areas while providing additional light to the interior;
• Recycled materials used in tile, carpeting, wood paneling and cubicles including the use of recycled windshield glass used as carpet backing; and
• A full-service cafe as well as a fuel farm on-site so employees won’t have to drive to get something to eat or to fuel their cars.

Mark Miller Toyota expects to be the first dealership in the West to ever earn LEED certification by the US Green Building Council.