After spendin g 16 years working as a foreman on union jobs, Chad Bickle
decided to use his experience in a new venture, Green Tech Excavation
Company. The company has allowed him to blend his construction
background with his long held interest in the environment: “I’ve always
been self-conscious about the environment, and so I decided, why not
start a green construction business?”

The business began with two CAT rigs, a 257 skid steer, and a long
boom 305 excavator. Bickle chose CAT for two reasons. First, he likes
the quality of their products: “CAT is a leader in motors for heavy
equipment.” Second, he likes the fact that his CAT machines are Tier IV,
creating the smallest amount of carbon of any machines on the market.
The
Tier IV rating was just the starting point for Bickle. He had the
dealership, NC Machinery, convert the hydraulic systems to run on
agricultural based lubricants-vegetable oil-so that he could “get as
green as it gets.” According to Jim Plaisance of NC, the process is
pretty straight forward: “We drain the tanks, purge the hydraulic
cylinders of exiting fluids which contain lead, and replace it with the
vegetable oil.” Plaisance estimated that the change over takes about a
day’s labor for a small excavator like Bickle’s to about three day’s labor for larger, more complex systems.
Even
though it is an expensive process, about $2,000 for his rigs, Bickle
thinks the switch is worth the price. Running green machinery for all
his jobs gives him a unique position in the market place because he is
one of the first to complete the whole process with new equipment.
The
lubricants, Environmental Awareness Lubricants (AWLs), were developed
by MOBIL as a less toxic, more environmentally friendly, alternative to
standard lubricants. According to Bickle, the vegetable fluid meets the
zero-fishkill test. If AWL is poured into a container of water which
has fish swimming in it, the fish survive. Don’t try that with petroleum
based fluids. Bickle added with some amusement that the synthetic
grease he uses is USDA approved, but he doesn’t plan to try to eat any
of it soon.
In addition to their environmental benefits, AWLs
perform as well as standard fluids Bickle said. AWLs have had no
negative effect on the operation of his equipment “no loss of power,
nothing.” Plaisance, on the other hand, did note one potential drawback
to the AWLs. They don’t dissipate
the heat as effectively as oil based lubricants, so on very hot days a machine might pick up some extra heat.

Because hydraulic hoses are under high pressure and prone to break,
Bickle takes pride in knowing that any fluid leak from his rigs can flow
directly into a storm drain with no environmental damage. Even though
it is more expensive to “go green” in terms of fluid, grease, and
biodiesel fuel, Bickle thinks he can carve out a profitable niche for
himself. Realistically, perhaps only 20% of his potential customers
will take his green approach into consideration when choosing an
excavating contractor, but he still sees a strong and growing market.
Ultimately
he hopes that his construction background combined with his commitment
of protect the environment will provide a decent life for himself, his
wife, and kids. “I’m taking what I learned working for really big
companies and applying it to my own.”