What YOU can DO to reduce air pollution!
1. Green your ride. Combine trips, carpool, ride your bike, walk, or take public transportation. Observe speed limits, avoid idling, and maintain your vehicle. Also consider driving a more fuel-efficient or hybrid/electric car.
2. Keep Car Tires Properly Inflated: Cars consume more fuel when tires are underinflated.
3. Get Comfortable Wisely. Insulate your home and use a programmable thermostat to reduce energy used for heating and cooling. Have an energy audit done to ensure it is as efficient as possible.
4. Use electric, battery-operated lawn care equipment (trimmers, blowers, mowers, hedgers, etc) whenever possible. For gas-powered equipment, buy items with 4-stroke engines instead of two.
5. Reduce lawn area: Replace with garden beds, meadows, and low-growing sedges and other non-invasive plants that don’t require mowing.
6. Plant and Protect Trees: Trees and other plants capture CO2 and gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone. They also filter out harmful particulate matter.
7. Use Low-VOC or Water-based Paints: Use paints that are based with water and not oil.
8. Use CFL or LED light bulbs, and turn things off when not in use.
9. Buy Green Electricity: Buy electricity generated from renewable energies i.e. hydroelectric, wind or solar power.
10. Use an EPA Certified Woodstove: If you heat with wood, choose an EPA certified woodstove or fireplace.
11. Use a Clothesline, instead of a clothes dryer.
12. Reduce Paper Waste: when printing/copying documents, use both sides of paper
13. Avoid Plastic Bags: Bring your own cloth grocery bag or use and recycle paper bags. Support stores that are eliminating plastic bags.
14. Choose Products with Minimal Packaging
15. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It takes energy to make and sell the products we use. Help reduce waste by sorting and recycling all materials according to the local program guidelines. When shopping, look for items having the recycle logo. Refill and reuse your travel mugs and water bottles instead of buying bottled water.
16. Buy Items Made from Recycled Materials
17. Cut Down on Junk Mail: If you’ve been receiving a lot of junk mail every week, ask to be taken off list or sign up for services that do this automatically.
18. Buy Rechargeable Batteries: Every year billions of batteries are sold and then disposed of after jjjjj
19. Buy ENERGY STAR Products: Whenever you buy new electronic products or appliances, always buy ENERGY STAR products, which meet certain requirements for energy savings.
20. Use Cold Water Instead of Hot: Heating water uses energy.
21. Be "Food Smart." Support local agriculture, understand the environmental impacts of food choices, and waste less food. Start a garden to grow your own fruits and vegetables.
22. Reduce/Eliminate Meat in Diet. The livestock industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.
23. Be an Advocate: Encourage community leaders to set a good example by using energy-efficient products and building design and supporting recycling and mass transit.