Can your company “go green” if there’s no way to revamp your products to make them eco-friendly? You betcha!

There are still lots of ways to get on the green bandwagon.

Consider the case of the nation’s first gas station to win certification from the Green Business League — David Welch’s Citgo station and convenience store in Deerfield, IL. Welch has also won kudos from his hometown for his green adaptations at the gas station.

As he told the Chicago Tribune, “There’s nothing I can do about the environmental impact about the gas I sell. It is what it is.” But he can control other parts of the operation, and Welch has found lots of ways to go green on a small business budget. For example Welch has:

• installed energy-efficient light bulbs
• added motion sensors to turn lights and faucets off when no one’s around
• planted foliage and evergreens around his store
• switched to water-based and nontoxic cleaners instead of chemical cleaners
• added thermostats to regulate after-hours heating and cooling
• painted his store with environmentally friendly paints
• added an energy-control device to his soft-drink machine, and
• installed a rain barrel on his gasoline pump island.

It’s the rain barrel that gets the attention from customers. Welch uses the 52-gallon barrel to capture stormwater runoff from the store’s roof to water his plants.  Each time customers ask about it, Welch gets an opportunity to explain all the innovations he’s adopted.

And, the green investments are paying off. Welch says he’s cut his electric and water bills by 20% by going green.

Others gasoline marketers are trying out green ideas as well. Check out the futuristic canopy over a BP gas station in Los Angeles, what the oil marketer calls its Helios House design. It features a green roof, home to living cactus plants and solar panels. The roof also collects stormwater and uses the runoff to irrigate the various plantings BP added to make the station attractive.

BP used recycled glass to create the canopy, which features low-energy lamps and motion detectors to limit electrical use throughout the store.

Bottom line: a 16% reduction in electricity usage.

The station also features cozy bathrooms with bamboo-lined walls, cooling provided by the cactus on the green roof and toilet seats made from recycled aluminum. Attendants hand out green-living brochures to explain the innovations. The Helios House design has won green building certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.

Tags: BP, Citgo, energy efficiency, Green Business League, Green gas station, green roof, stormwater