Sedona, AZ. (April 9, 2007) Immaculate white floors aren't usually associated with large automotive maintenance facilities, but that's what you'll find behind the scenes at Pink Jeep Tours. A special floor cleaner puts water on the shop floor, scrubs it, and then recaptures the water.
Eco-friendly maintenance facility at Pink Jeep Tours modifies new Jeep for use on extreme trails.
It's just one component of the company's "green" initiatives. Recycling all of their used oil, coolants, and other fluids is another. Responsible for eighty-three highly-modified tour and maintenance vehicles in service, Greg McCallum, Pink Jeep Tours Fleet Manager, is always looking for opportunities to avoid unnecessary waste. "When we retire a tour vehicle, we strip every modification we can and re-use it on a new vehicle."
Formerly from California and an avid outdoorsman, McCallum brought environmental awareness with him, a quality that meshes perfectly with the company's proactive culture of protecting the fragile landscape of Sedona.
"Running 'clean' is critical to reducing emissions," says McCallum, "so the first thing we do is install cryogenically treated spark plugs on all of our new Jeeps. Then, every thirty days, the vehicles are pulled out of service for a complete maintenance check and tuning. On a daily basis, each tour vehicle is inspected bumper to bumper by the guides before they go out. If a fluid leak is found, that Jeep is pulled out of service and substituted with another one from the fleet."
Aerosol cans were done away with a few years ago when the company switched to air-pressurized products, and spot clean-ups now use cloths that are sent to a "green" facility that captures grease and other contaminants before they cause damage to the environment.
Green initiatives for the company don't stop at the garage door. Pink Jeep Tours is currently working on re-vegetation projects, including Broken Arrow, a trail that has suffered extensive damage from private drivers unaware of how fragile the desert vegetation is, and their vehicles which often aren't properly equipped to withstand the rigors of red rock climbing.
In contrast, Pink Jeeps are purchased new from Chrysler and then the company invests up to $75,000 per vehicle for high tech modifications that enhance safety, eliminate tire spin, and provide advanced control and maneuverability.
Left to right:
Alvaro Castrita, Repair Technician for Pink Jeep Tours and Greg McCallum, Fleet Manager for Pink Jeep Tours. Castrita and McCallum prepare new Jeep for rugged trails of Sedona.
In addition, their professional tour drivers undergo extensive and comprehensive training that includes extreme off-road driving as well as knowledge and preservation of eco-systems. "Right now, our trail maintenance team is filling in potholes and re-structuring places where private vehicles have gone off the trail," says McCallum. The company is also re-seeding damaged areas with native grasses and other native plants provided by the USDA Forest Service.
Back in the office, recycling is a given. Paper, plastic, cans, ink cartridges, and cardboard all go in the recycle bins.
"The reason people come to Sedona is to experience the most beautiful scenery on earth," explains Mike Hermen, Director of Marketing for Pink Jeep Tours. "For that reason alone, environmental and ecological ethics are essential to our business, but our motives are deeper than that. Our president, Shawn Wendell, has devoted his entire life to the outdoors, both personally and professionally, and our guides all tend to be hikers, mountain bikers, and nature lovers."
Pink Jeep Tours was founded in 1960 and has its corporate headquarters in Sedona, Arizona. Today, it operates a corporate fleet of eighty-three vehicles, serves visitors from around the world, and provides the premier adventure tours of Northern Arizona. It is the only Jeep tour company with guide trainers certified by the National Association for Interpretation on its staff.
For more information, please contact the company at (928) 282-5000.
MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Johnson, PT/PR. Additional high resolution photos are available upon request. (928) 204-0514 or e-mail: susan.ptpr@esedona.net
