Small problems aren't easy to fix

This is not typical of my usual flickr postings, and was taken for a group project protecting Puget Sound (see tags - It hasn't been accepted into the pool yet). I'm a car guy, as are many of my contacts, but am also concerned about the environment so please be constructive in your comments here as this is a real topic of concern that I take seriously. Thanks.

This is oil leakage (a couple of weeks worth) from my '96 Mercury Tracer, which I am about to sell. Obviously, it's not only very old cars that leak. I put the cardboard down to lessen runoff of the oil, but some still gets away.

As a former environmental educator who worked with the public on these issues, I feel somewhat guilty that I have a car that's polluting our groundwater. Unfortunately, leaks like this one are not easy to fix and would cost me the value of the car to get rid of. I've bought another car to replace this one, but someone else will buy this car from me, and probably not fix it or try and contain the leak.

This is a perfect example of how small environmental problems add up when you consider how many vehicles are on the road. Lots of small leaks mean a lot of pollution, but what can you do?