[OKC] FW: GREENTIPS - Water-wise Car Washing (6/09)
Shauna Struby
sstruby at cox.net
Tue Jun 16 07:52:58 PDT 2009
FYI
From: Greentips - Union of Concerned Scientists
[mailto:greentips at ucsusa.org]
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 12:34 PM
To: sstruby at cox.net
Subject: GREENTIPS - Water-wise Car Washing (6/09)
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=h2rpK5HDFkOfVkAOPv1t7w..>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11232.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11178.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
Water-wise Car Washing
June 2009
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=0T5UJuq8IymPUjTPxJvFKA..> Read this
issue of Greentips online
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.
Related Resources:
Maryland <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=brkAdGuBjPIn4m_e4aOaVw..>
Department of the Environment-Water Conservation and Washing Vehicles
Environmental <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=AqQ_V6EMKbIB_aX4GlasFA..>
Protection Agency-Water Conservation Tips
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=bSf9TIT8Rwu_5KU3cv-fjg..>
Oasis Design-Grey Water Information
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/12087.jpg>
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=v16HAVeAEDKfEo8cqwSLVA..>
Want to have a bigger impact on environmental issues? Add
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=WF4Ev5a3lSfAMottWqW3uQ..> your voice to
more than 170,000 online activists.
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11109.gif>
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=D689_7tomx9srqMxLc-yVA..>
Help us develop practical solutions to environmental problems by joining
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=fI-dmCqF-0P-NKjazwVo_g..> UCS or making
a donation today.
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11109.gif>
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=-KLTYc60YYASxylJ69pkww..>
Subscribe to this free monthly newsletter or read past issues in the
Greentips <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=WAg-O7oYvDThxz1l8Le1Ug..>
section of the UCS website.
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11109.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11178.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11108.gif>
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend!
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=zV4HmaBsxfdONYjiDFCeRw..>
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=1Hadq2Zqxbmi2maUyG_8JA..> for the Union
of Concerned Scientists.
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11108.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11274.gif>
To ensure <http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=0qgtrBSc3px5Y1DAqlO4-A..> you
continue to receive emails from UCS, add greentips at ucsusa.org to your
address book.
We are committed to protecting your privacy, so your email address will
NEVER be sold or exchanged.
This message was sent to sstruby at cox.net. To stop receiving Greentips
emails, click
<http://ucs.convio.net/site/CO?i=ij1XuCsEYuDWPH2KS052TX4pUoCmLPew&cid=1079>
to unsubscribe.
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11178.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://ucs.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/11407.gif>
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/PixelServer?j=WVhFozVCA03eS6GRUH2zBA..>
<http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=78zXTYS0PyqVtI_ijgNd4w..> Powered by
Convio.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20090616/3559464f/attachment.htm>
More information about the OKC
mailing list