Water-wise Car Washing

Source: GreenTips – UCS Newsletter

Taking your car to the local car wash instead of washing it at home might seem like a guilty pleasure, but from an environmental perspective it is often the better choice. When you wash your car in the driveway or street, contaminants such as grease and brake dust (as well as the detergent itself) flow into storm sewers, which discharge directly into our waterways. Car washes, on the other hand, are required to drain their water into sanitary sewers (which direct sewage to treatment facilities) or to filter and reuse it on-site.

Water efficiency is also a benefit of many commercial car washes. An analysis by the Maryland Department of the Environment found that car washes use approximately 50 to 75 gallons of water per car (assuming the water is not being recycled); using the self-service bay consumes only 15 gallons. A typical garden hose, on the other hand, which has an average flow rate of seven gallons per minute, would exceed a car wash’s water consumption after two minutes compared with the self-service bay or seven minutes compared with the automated wash if the hose were left running.

If you don’t live near a car wash, here are some ways to clean your car in an ecological way:

• Wash on gravel, grass, or another permeable surface. Grass and gravel help filter contaminants from your wash water so they don’t end up in the storm sewer.
• Use a water-saving hose nozzle. A nozzle with adjustable spray settings and automatic shut-off can save as much as 70 gallons per wash.
• Use the right soap. Choose a biodegradable soap that is chlorine- and phosphate-free. Avoid dish soap, which could remove your car’s wax finish.
• Use “gray” water. If you use biodegradable detergents in your home, and local regulations allow, you can wash your car with the water that drains from your washing machine or dishwasher. You can also use captured rain water.
• Dump your dirty soap bucket into a sink or toilet. These drain into the sanitary sewer (instead of the storm sewer).
• Consider waterless wash products. Several companies have developed nontoxic car cleaners that require no water; they are designed to be sprayed on and wiped off with a soft towel.

It’s Easy Going Green

From WWF (www.panda.org):

Environmentalism is often seen as giving things up, but it’s really about doing things better and thinking a little differently. The challenge ahead is to find a way in which we can all lead happy and healthy lives within the natural limits of our 1 planet.

There are many things you can do every day to reduce your environmental impact and live a more sustainable lifestyle. From turning off appliances at home when not in use to switching to renewable energy at the office to choosing the most environmentally friend travel option on your next trip, even the simplest daily activities can make a real difference in protecting our environment.

More on WWF website

Stock Market Joke

1. The US has made a new weapon that destroys people but keeps the building standing. Its called the stock market.
2. Do you have any idea how cheap stocks are? Wall Street is now being called Wal Mart Street.
3. The difference between a pigeon and a investment broker… The pigeon can still make a deposit on a BMW
4. What’s the difference between a guy who lost everything in Las Vegas and an investment broker? A tie.
5. The problem with investment bank balance sheet is that on the left side nothing’s right and on the right side nothing’s left.
6. I want to warn people from Nigeria who might be reading this, if you get any emails from Washington asking for money, it’s a scam. Don’t fall for it.
7. What worries me most about the credit crunch, is that if one of my checks is returned stamped ‘insufficient funds’. I won’t know whether that refers to mine or the bank’s.