Monthly Reminders

July 2010

- To add a fresh look to your flower beds turn over the mulch. Keep up with the weeds.

- Check and clean the gutters, drains & catch basins.

- Are your trash barrels looking old or is your dumpster too small for the job? Replace them with new or bigger ones.

- Check your doors, doorknobs, locks and hinges, are they in good working order?

- Grease the springs of your overhead doors. Check their cables, wheels and hinges too!

Do you have a reminder you would like us to post? Send it to us!

winter-2010-legislativeupdate

News | NYSCWA Legislative Update

NYSCWA Legislative Update - Spring 2010

Association Has Unique Opportunity to Work with DEC to Educate the Consumer

By William Y. Crowell, III

The ever-expanding role of government in your business — and other small businesses — is undeniable. To the chagrin of many small business owners, government, through regulation or taxation, has a material impact on the success or failure of many businesses.

The carwash industry has a unique opportunity to work with government to educate the general public about the water quality and water-saving impacts of using a commercial carwash. Most people don’t recognize the negative impacts of washing their own cars in their driveways. The run-off from a home carwash goes into storm drains with the resulting effluent negatively impacting many important water resources. Home carwash water may contain high amounts of nutrients, metals and hydrocarbons and, in addition to increasing the storm water pollutant loads, also uses at least twice as much water.

Professional carwashing, in contrast, has significant environmental benefits in water saving and in the lack of storm water impact. Your Association is taking positive steps to work with New York State government to educate consumers about the environmental benefits of professional carwashing.

The appliance industry in New York State has worked with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to establish the Energy Star® brand label program for various energy saving appliances. This program is jointly managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NYSERDA. The residential building industry has worked with NYSERDA to establish the Energy Star® labeled homes program and the New York State Green Residential Building Program. Both these industries have used eco-friendly requirements as positive marketing tools. The commercial carwash industry should promote its own positive environmental practices with governmental agencies and regulators to ensure the widest dissemination of the “green” benefits of a professional carwash.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) website currently contains the following recommendations to consumers:

Use a commercial carwash or wash your car on the lawn to keep dirty, soapy water from flowing into storm drains and eventually into your local streams and lakes.
Don’t waste water – wash your car on the lawn, or better yet use a commercial carwash. Most commercial carwashes recycle or pre-treat their waste water, thereby reducing its effect on the environment.

Under a heading of saving water, DEC recommends:

Wash cars less frequently. If your car desperately needs a bath, take it to a carwash that recycles water.

We will be meeting soon with DEC to discuss their educational program and to provide additional suggestions, such as a segment on DEC TV to discuss carwashing. There is an intersection of interest to preserve the environment while educating the public on the benefits of a commercial carwashing.

The charity carwash, although well intentioned, is an example of the lack of appreciation of the problems associated with polluted wash water entering the storm drain system. Many of these charitable groups have no recognition of the negative environmental impacts of such events. Many members offer fundraising options to these groups — a win-win for the environment and the charitable organizations. Government agencies and regulators should be positively assisting in communicating the message of the eco-friendly benefits of using professional carwashes and your Association will work to accomplish this goal.

William Y. Crowell, III is a partner with the Albany-based law firm of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP. He can be contacted at 518/487-7677, or at email him.

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Monthly Reminders

NYSCWA Legislative Update - Spring 2010

Association Has Unique Opportunity to Work with DEC to Educate the Consumer

By William Y. Crowell, III