How You Can Help
ORCAA offers the following suggestions on how individuals can help ensure we all have cleaner air.
10 Simple Things YOU Can Do To Fight Air Pollution
Top Ten Steps for Cleaner Air
1. Find Ways to Leave Your Car Parked
Instead of driving everywhere, figure out how you can make at least some of your trips using alternative transportation. If you just need a few items from the neighborhood store, walk over (and take along your own carry bag -- see item 9 below) Whenever you can, walk, bike or take the bus or train instead of driving.
2. Carpool
When you do have to drive, try to make the most efficient use of your car and the fuel you'll be burning by teaming up with colleagues, classmates or neighbors. If two people share a ride instead of driving individually, they've cut their pollution (and their costs!) in half! Get four people into your car and you're contribution to air pollution, and your transportation costs, are only a quarter of what they would be if you drive alone!
3. Combine Car Trips
Okay, sometimes you have to drive alone. We all have errands that need to be done. You can minimize the pollution you cause, and the money you spend, by combining those errands into a single trip, though. Rather than make separate trips to the grocery store, to the kids' school, to the doctor, and to the library, plan your day so you can take care of all that in a single trip. You'll get everything done, and because you aren't duplicating miles as you come home and leave again, you'll save time, money (!) and our shared air!
4. Reduce your Idle Time
Every time you leave your car idling, you are getting 0 miles per gallon of gasoline. You are basically burning money and creating air pollution with absolutely no benefit to show for it. All the old myths aside, there is no good reason to idle your car. Recent studies have shown that if you idling more than 30 seconds is actually more damaging to your engine than turning it off and restarting. And the best way to warm up a cold engine is to start driving it.
5. Keep your Car Tuned and Operating Efficiently
Well-maintained cars produce less pollution. Keep your car tuned up, and your tire properly inflated, and you’ll get better gas mileage and reduce pollution. Also, when you’re fueling your car, don’t top off your tank—stop fueling when the pump shuts off.
6. When Car Shopping, Consider Cleaner, more Efficient Models
When you go car shopping, look for high fuel efficiency ratings (you’ll save on gas costs). There are a host of hybrid cars (gas-electric vehicles), fully electric neighborhood vehicles and even fully gas-powered but very fuel-efficient vehicles on the market today. To learn more about vehicle ratings and fuel efficiency, visit this websites: www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.
7. Make your Home More Efficient
The electricity used in your home comes from power plants, so the less we each use in our homes, the less we need to produce nationally. Every little bit helps. Try using compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of the inefficient incandescent bulbs. Take it a step further and turn off those lights when they are not needed. Make sure your home is properly insulated and sealed -- every bit of heat that escapes out your roof, or around your doorjamb is heat that needs to be replaced by your furnace.
8. Reduce your Use of Toxic Compounds
Yes, you use toxic compounds. Daily. We all do. Everything from the paint we use to remodel our homes to the detergent we use to wash our clothes. But there are alternatives. When you want to remodel your living room, use a water-based paint. Instead of taking your clothes to a dry cleaner, wash them by hand. Buy organic or all-natural cleaning products instead of chemical cleaners. Next spring, leave the weedkiller on the shelf and buy a pair of gloves and a hoe to help you pull those weeds -- they make great compost!
9. Recycle and Reuse
Reuse products as frequently as you can. Those old butter tubs make nice, inexpensive containers for leftovers. Old business papers that are only printed on one side makes good scratch paper for casual printing, or note taking. Once you've use a product as much as you can, recycle it. Remember, reuse before you recycle -- by using a product twice (at least) not only save the natural resources needed to make another similar product, but you save the energy needed to recycle that product as frequently. Remember: Reuse and recycle everything you can and try to buy things that are reusable, recyclable and made with recycled materials.
10. Spread the Word
Tell your family, friends and coworkers about the importance of clean air -- share this website with them. You can also make your money work for cleaner air by simply supporting companies that care about the environment.
A few other ideas:
- Use an electric mower, or push mower, instead of a gas-powered mower.
- Use a broom instead of a leaf blower.
- Use a gas log in your fireplace, and a gas grill outdoors.
- Work from home one day a week.
- Don’t use indoor air cleaners that generate ozone.
- Find out more about preventing all kinds of pollution at www.greendifference.org.
- Find out more about air pollution and lung health at www.alaw.org