April 20, 2006

Celebrate Earth Day every day with environmental action

Small changes in everyday activities can pay big dividends

People who care about a cleaner, healthier environment have been celebrating Earth Day for more than 35 years. Earth Day is celebrated Saturday, April 22. Parviz Pira, owner of Dry Clean America at 5885 Santa Teresa Blvd. is asking people to think bigger than a one-day observance.

The official Earth Day Stamp is part of the “Celebrate the Century–1970s” U.S. Stamp Collection. Earth Day is this Saturday, April 22.

“Earth Day should be a reminder to us all to be good stewards of the environment every day,” Parviz said. Parviz founded Dry Clean America in 1990. He uses the environmentally friendly GreenEarth Cleaning process that avoids the air-polluting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used by most other dry cleaners. The GreenEarth Cleaning process uses a silicone-based cleaning solution that is safe and non-polluting, and has won numerous national, state and local awards for environmental business practices.

“There are a lot of simple, easy steps and changes people can make that will make a real difference for our environment,” Parviz said. “Most people know about recycling and carpooling, but there are lots of other things that people can do every day, not just one day a year.”

In cooperation with Kansas City-based GreenEarth Cleaning, Dry Clean America provided this list of suggestions for people who want to make positive everyday changes to benefit their environment.

No paper, no plastic: Buy and use canvas or net tote bags to carry groceries and other purchases.

Let the sun shine on: Put up a clothesline and dry clothes in the open air when possible to reduce use of the automatic dryer.

Toss properly: Batteries, electronic equipment, paints and household chemicals such as cleaners and pesticides are among the items that should not be put out with the regular trash for landfill disposal. Contact your city or county government or a local environmental organization for information on how to dispose of these materials properly.

Support your local farmer: When you patronize your local farmer’s market, you build support for local agriculture, which means less food has to be shipped long distances.

Get insulated: Reduce energy usage by adding insulation to your home. Wrap your hot water heater and pipes with insulation to save even more energy.

Both sides now: Cut paper use in half by setting all printers and copiers you use, at home and at work, to print on both sides of the paper.

Flow lightly: Install plumbing fixtures such as toilets, shower heads and taps that reduce water flow and usage.

Patronize environmentally friendly businesses: These include garages that help do-it-yourselfers dispose of waste oil properly; retailers who offer a wide selection of recycled, organic and locally produced products; restaurants that wash and reuse plates and glasses instead of disposables; and businesses that use safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals.

GreenEarth Cleaning was created in 1998 by several drycleaners who were looking for a non-polluting alternative to perchloroethylene or “perc,” which drycleaners have been using since the 1930s. Dry cleaners using the GreenEarth Cleaning process have now earned 12 different environmental awards, including citations from the U.S. EPA and the states of Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“We chose GreenEarth because other alternative solvents are hydrocarbon-based, like perc, and are still classified as air-polluting VOCs (volatile organic compounds),” Parviz said. “We wanted to make a full commitment to environmental protection by using the GreenEarth Cleaning process.”

The silicone-based GreenEarth Cleaning solvent is listed as a preferred alternative to ozone-depleting chemicals in the U.S. EPA’s Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP). Because any spill of the GreenEarth Cleaning solvent quickly degrades to sand, water and carbon dioxide, it is not regulated by hazardous waste laws such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Increasing regulatory pressure, concern for soil and water contamination, and other business issues have led many in the industry to search for an alternative to perc. GreenEarth Cleaning developed its patented, environmentally preferred silicone-based process in response to these industry needs and is now making the process available to drycleaners worldwide. More information is available by visiting the GreenEarth Cleaning Web site at http://www.greenearthcleaning.com/.