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It may seem strange that reducing your business' fuel and energy consumption
also cuts down on non-point source pollution to the Anacostia, but it
is true! Most of our region's air pollution comes from the burning of
fossil fuels in our cars and in power plants west of the Washington
metropolitan area. In burning these fuels, toxic substances are released
and travel by prevailing winds to the East where they impact our forests,
fish and water quality. You can reduce air and water pollution and save
your business money by:
You can also visit the Energy Star website for more ideas or:
Click here for a list of additional Internet resources
that will help your business have a positive impact on the environment.
Click here for a list of businesses
that can help you reduce your business's impact on the Anacostia.
Reducing your business' use of electricity
• Turning off lights, computers, printers and appliances at night
and when they are not in use.
• Purchasing energy star certified computers and appliances that
offer a low-power "sleep" mode when not in use.
• Conduct an energy audit that addresses heating/cooling, lighting,
steam losses, and motors.
• Properly insulating your facilities including ceilings, walls,
piping and heat generating equipment.
• Using fans instead of air conditioning when possible.
• Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Use and maintain your vehicle fleet properly
• If possible, reduce your vehicle fleet and/or number of employee
trips.
• Properly inflate your vehicles' tires. Tires lose air over time.
Keeping them properly inflated saves gas and reduces the chances of
blowouts.
• Clean and replace vehicle air filter regularly. A dirty air filter
decreases fuel efficiency.
• Change your oil and antifreeze with a professional. Service stations
recycle these fluids. If you change them yourself, bring the fluids
to a service station or landfills for recycling.
• Wash your vehicles at a car wash or in a grassy area. Detergents
and heavy metals are then treated at a water treatment plant or filtered
by the grass rather than washing into streams and rivers.
• Don't top off gas tanks. Topping off can lead to small spills
which add up over time.
• Ask your employees to observe the speed limit. Most of the energy
used to move your car is used in overcoming air resistance. The faster
you drive, the greater the air resistance and the lower your gas mileage
- and it is safer!
• When purchasing new vehicles, look for ones that are fuel efficient
and low emissions.
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