Drive Less, Drive Smart
About half of the air pollution comes from cars and trucks. Two important ways to reduce air pollution are to drive less — even a little less — and drive smart. Try combining driving with alternative modes of transportation: carpool, walk or ride a bicycle, shop by phone or mail, ride public transit or telecommute.
Choose Air-Friendly Products
Many products you use in your home, in the yard, or at the office are made with smog-forming chemicals that escape into the air. Here are a few ways to put a lid on products that pollute:
- Select products that are water-based or have low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Use water-based paints. Look for paints labeled “zero-VOC.
- Paint with a brush, not a sprayer
- Store solvents in air-tight containers
- Use a push or electric lawn mower
Save Energy
Saving energy helps reduce air pollution. Whenever you burn fossil fuel, you pollute the air. Use less gasoline, natural gas, and electricity (power plants burn fossil fuels to generate electricity):
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room
- Replace energy hungry incandescent lights with fluorescent lighting
- Check with your utility company for energy conservation tips, like purchasing energy saving appliances
- Use a programmable thermostat that automatically turns off the air conditioner or heater Add insulation to your home
- Use a fan instead of air conditioning
- Insulate your water heater
- Install low flow showerheads
Things You Can Do For Clean Air
Monday, May 03, 2010
Earth Hour
Monday, March 15, 2010
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. A year later, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.
In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.
Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 pm and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, take responsibility, get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.
States officially participating in Earth Hour 2010 to date include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin—triple the number that took part in 2009.
U.S. landmarks such as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, Sea World in Orlando, “The Strip” in Las Vegas, New York’s Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, California’s Santa Monica Pier and the Space Needle in Seattle are among the hundreds of sites that will turn off non-essential lighting for the hour, in what is expected to be the largest-ever call to action on climate change.
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