In 2006, the Toronto Green Development Standard was conceptualized. Rapid urbanization and growth in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario Province and the increasing concern over the effects of progress on the environment prompted this very essential study. The City Council approved the plans in November 2008 and released it to the public for awareness before the projected implementation in September 2009.
The changes will make solid waste disposal efficient and environment-friendly among others. The entire Ontario Province will be watching and in fact, other cities throughout the world will be peering over its shoulders.
Being a major policy and a critical program, it is important that all other activities must be set against its benchmarks. Even routine cleaning work such as parking lot flushing must be conducted in consideration with the Toronto Green Project. Since this involves sanitation and greenery, heat island effect reduction and water management, this routine operation acquires a degree of environmental importance.
One concern over pavement parking is the ratio of green areas over gray areas. A case in point is the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) that oversees at least 28 parking lots that add up a total of over 14,000 spaces. Their maintenance highlights importance of proper parking lot flushing that is compliant with the Toronto Green Standards.
Parking lot flushing directly involves human and mechanical interfaces. Maintenance personnel must be familiar with the structure of the pavements. They should be aware of the areas having permeable pavements. These would be the perimeter around landscaped green areas. Rain water ought to be able to permeate through the pavement into the soil to nourish plants and actively reduce heat island effects that gray areas magnify. Meanwhile, the impervious pavement should prevent wash water from parking lot flushing to contaminate the good soil and the greenery.
Open pavement parking lots gather and retain much chemical pollutants as well. Storm water brings down sediments that may not be washed down the sewers and would be left on the pavement. Parking lot flushing means utilizing clean water to wash down these chemicals and remove loose sediments, achieving a clean surface for parking lot patrons.
The mechanical interface in parking lot flushing involves making use of special equipment. The simplest method of cleaning and clearing parking lot pavements is by sweeping. Sub-contracting the services to a professional group may prove to be a wise choice because these companies keep updated with new cleaning technology and equipment.
Since parking lot flushing with water begins after thorough sweeping, the appropriate equipment for the job is mandatory. After the pavement is cleared of dust and debris, a surface cleaner with power washer is utilized. They operate like floor buffers but instead of stiff brushes, pressurized water jets from a rotating tube onto the surface. This dislodges stubborn substances such as oil drips from vehicles, spilled liquids and chemical that the stiff brushes and vacuum of a power sweeper could not break free.
A basic surface cleaner has the mechanical efficiency to go through 200 square meters in ten minutes. Larger machines for wider pavements would make parking lot flushing easy, uncomplicated and environment friendly. The Toronto Green Standard affects not just the GTA but even the Province of Ontario as well. It is therefore environmentally responsible to conduct even mere parking lot flushing in compliance with the TGS.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesinsight.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
