April 22nd marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day. This year’s theme is Mobilize the Earth. The theme motivates us to mobilize together and unite in our quest for creating a sustainable and environmentally sound community. As in years past, part of the focus of Earth Day is to get individuals to look closely at the practices and choices they make every day and to examine whether or not those fit with preserving our Earth.
Earth Day Network will continue with the Billion Acts of Green which will be presented at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. A Billion Acts of Green logs and showcases the individual acts of environmental service around the world, such as washing your clothes in cold water, picking up garbage or taking your vehicle to a commercial Green certified car wash.
When you wash your car at home, you are putting soap and dirt, as well as oil, grease, solvents, nutrients, and metals into our local bodies of water. While you may not consider washing your car at home to have a negative impact on the environment, just the opposite is true. In a recent survey in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, researchers found that almost 40% of residents were washing their cars at home. Just think about the amount of harmful pollutants that are being sent into local storm water drains which flows unfiltered into our streams, rivers, lakes and ultimately Puget Sound.
You can do your Act of Green by making the simple choice to use a commercial car wash instead of washing your car at home. Tumwater Auto Spa, located at 6040 Capital Blvd., Tumwater has been awarded “Green” status among car washes in the area. Over 85% of the water used to wash your car is being recycled and reused at Tumwater Auto Spa. The oil, grime, dirt and soap flowing off of your car as it is being washed is filtered by the state-of-the-art reclaim system. The only water that finds its way into the local sewer system is water that is free of contaminants.
Tumwater Auto Spa also offers a fundraising program. Your club or organization can still hold a car wash, but without causing damage to our local water systems. Make the green choice to use your neighborhood commercial car wash. Be an Earth Hero!
