Dec 7 2009
The Smart Car Wash groundbreaking ceremonies, which were held yesterday at Smoketown Shopping Plaza in Woodbridge, VA, marks the start of the next generation of innovative and environmentally-friendly car washes.
In addition to creating new green jobs in Prince William County, the business will provide high quality auto cleaning at an affordable price while "raising the bar" for environmental stewardship in the car wash industry. The development team expects national visibility for its innovative use of "green" building techniques, commitment to environmental stewardship, and high quality design.
"We are pleased to welcome The Smart Car Wash to Woodbridge and Prince William County," said Supervisor John Jenkins, Prince William County NEABSCO District, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremonies. "This project is a continuation of the County's push for LEED certified and energy efficient businesses and we are excited that The Smart Car Wash will provide Woodbridge consumers with a green and good value service at the same time."
The Smart Car Wash also received federal recognition from Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who introduced a congratulatory statement into the Congressional Record.
"Congress provided Recovery Act funding for Small Business Administration loan programs with the hope that entrepreneurs would have the opportunity to open their own small businesses and create jobs for their local economies," Connolly said. "The Smart Car Wash LEED certified facility, financed by the SBA's 504 lending program, does exactly that by creating new jobs, increasing the local tax base, and stimulating the Prince William County economy. I commend the Smart Car Wash team for their entrepreneurial spirit and environmental stewardship."
LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
To achieve LEED Certification, The Smart Car Wash is using design and development guidelines from the US Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/ and building the operation from the "ground up" with a focus on sustainability, including: reclaiming and re-using over 90% of the water for carwash operations; reducing noise and light pollution; using Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) technology for most equipment to reduce power consumption by 50 percent; selecting only carwash chemicals that are bio-friendly and eliminating the need for hydraulic devices, which have the potential to contaminate the environment.
"We're very excited about this revolutionary project and see it as another step forward for recognition of LEED certification for all kinds of businesses," said Tom Mawson, Executive Director, US Green Building Council National Capital Region. "This car wash will be the first in the nation, if not the world, to be LEED certified."
Source: http://www.usgbc.org/