LaFontaine gets gold star… in LEED certification

Car salesmen aren’t exactly thought of as environmentalists, but the folks at LaFontaine Automotive Group are turning that piece of conventional wisdom on its head.The Highland-based firm just opened a new dealership that has been certified LEED gold, the second highest level LEED certification available. The 63,000-square-foot facility cost $15 million to build with a slew of green feathers in its hat.Those include a special car wash system that recycles 85 percent of the water. Indigenous plants that require less water, provided by a roof storm water retention system, were used for landscaping. The big-ticket green item is a geothermal heating and cooling system that clocks in at $600,000, but is expected to dramatically cut heating and cooling costs.There are also other smaller green features like low-flush toilets, energy-efficient lighting, and 85 skylights. Most of the dealership was built with recycled content. There is even a windmill that provides power for the irrigation pump. All in all, the green features are expected to cut energy consumption costs in half.Source: LaFontaine Automotive GroupWriter: Jon Zemke