With columns of tires and shelves of parts stored alongside drums of petroleum-based products, it wouldn't seem that an auto repair and service center would be a hotbed of environmental consciousness, but Carbondale's Gator Automotive has gone green in a big way.

"We try to be as environmentally conscious as possible with energy usage and with all of the other resources we use," said Karen Greenberg, who co-owns the company with her husband, George Williams.

Greenberg said her 1½-year-old building on Reed Station Road is the result of a long-term mindset.

"Energy use has been a subject of great interest for us for at least 30 years," she said. "When we lost our lease at our previous location, we decided that the new building was our opportunity to walk the walk, so to speak."

While Gator's previous location near University Mall wasn't designed with energy efficiency in mind, the current pale gray building is designed to reduce energy consumption.

Transparent panels placed high on the building's walls let in a large amount of light, supplemented by just a few energy-efficient ceiling lights. The wall between the repair shop and the office portion of the structure was built like those in a greenhouse.

"The wall insulates very well, plus it lets in plenty of light," Greenberg said.

Even the building's exterior was designed with energy savings in mind.

"Most people don't realize that we picked a lighter color for the outside of the building and the roof specifically to reflect heat from the sun," she said. "We also designed the placement of the doors in the shop to allow for cross-ventilation."

Even on days when the outside temperatures approach 90 degrees, technicians are able to work comfortably with just a fan or two circulating air. When air conditioning is needed, the business calls upon a geothermal system, which utilizes the constant temperature underground to help cool the structure.

"We've reduced our cooling bills by 50 percent from our other location," Greenberg said.

Greenberg said that even with an emphasis on keeping down the summer temperatures, the building also is comfortable in the winter. A radiant-heat system circulates hot water in pipes throughout the floor of the building to provide warmth.

"With the radiant heat in the concrete floor, the building holds temperature very well," Greenburg said. She added a new system is currently being installed to reduce heating costs and to reuse what up to now has been a waste product: used motor oil.

A new waste oil boiler will cleanly burn old motor oil removed from customers' cars. The boiler will heat the water that circulates to warm the building.

Motor oil is not the only product being treated by Gator Automotive in an environmentally friendly way. Practically all of the resources the company uses are handled in a green fashion.

"We try to buy all of the fluids we use in bulk in big drums so that there is no need for all of the small plastic containers," Greenberg said. "We even use recycled antifreeze in our customers' vehicles. It meets original equipment standards."

The company recycles everything it possibly can, including cardboard, paper, plastic and metal.

"Right now the value of metal is very high. We get more than $200 a month for the metal we recycle," Greenberg said. "So that's an added bonus."

Greenberg said Gator's trash is a testament to the company's recycling efforts.

"We don't fill our garbage dumpster up very much before it is collected. I'd really like for us not to generate any waste at all," she said.

While the company does not specifically deal with the used tires that are removed from vehicles, it is eco-conscious with them as well.

"We store used tires indoors so that they don't fill up with water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes," Greenberg said, adding that tires are removed regularly by a licensed used-tire transporter to be safely incinerated or recycled.

She said one of the keys to being a green company is having employees who care about the environment.

"We try to make all of the recycling as easy for our employees as possible, but they're conscientious on their own. They're really on board with this," she said.

Greenburg said that being green is something that Gator would do even if there were not any financial benefits.

"We believe in being decent stewards," she said. "It's that simple."