The Adopt-a-Dealer program is a project that makes it easy for anyone and everyone to be a part of the solution to break our oil addiction and avert the global climate crisis. The public face of any auto company is its dealers. And dealers are an important link in the chain of oil addiction and global warming for two key reasons:
- Dealers have influence over the the auto execs in Detroit who decide which vehicles will roll off the assembly line.
- It’s in the dealers’ best interest that the automakers send them more fuel efficiency vehicles, so that they aren’t stuck with gas guzzlers sitting unsold on their lots. Imagine if dealers could sell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles instead of Hummers!
There are nearly 26,000 dealerships in the US alone. Most dealers are independent businesses, but there is a growing trend towards "MegaDealers" - chains that may have hundreds of locations across the country. While automakers are still dragging their feet on building fuel-efficient vehicles - dealers are the ones who have a face-to-face relationship with drivers and they know what people want. Many dealers already agree that it’s time to kick America’s oil addiction and have joined the Freedom From Oil dealer pledge.
You can help by organizing your local car or truck dealer to join the campaign! Contact us for a step-by-step guide to organizing a dealer, and learn how other communities have had success working with their local dealers!
