Reduce Air Pollution
Reducing air pollution runs hand in hand with improving your health, saving money,
living greener
and being consciously aware of the intricate connection everyday actions have with everyday breaths. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution is a
major environmental health problem
affecting everyone in developed and developing countries alike. Outdoor air pollution alone is
responsible for over 3 million deaths each year. The burning of
coal,
oil
and other
fossil fuels,
pesticide use, household combustion devices, motor vehicles, mining operations, industrial facilities, forest fires and manufacturing chemicals are
common sources of air pollution. Air pollution has been
associated to an increased number of deaths among patients who have been admitted to a hospital with heart attacks,
linked to autism
and
contributes to asthma, emphysema, heart disease, and other potentially lethal conditions
and isn't exclusive to it's origin as it travels long distances through trade winds. For a more comprehensive list on how to reduce air pollution, live healthier and save money, visit the
Guide to Green Living.
Learn more.
Why Cleaner Air?
"I can't imagine a right more basic than the right to breathe clean air. We've debated for years how that might be possible. Now that we know it is, will we have the courage and the conviction to get there?" ~ Ed Begley, Jr.
- Buy locally produced goods and eat local foods that are in season to help reduce the transportation of goods from one side of the planet to the other, which generate an immense amount of pollution, while supporting local community, economy and improving your health since the best organic food is what's grown closes to you. Discover Local Harvest
- Reduce the amount of time you spend in the car and improve your fuel economy by carpooling or using public transportation whenever you can and for shorter distances, walking or riding your bike to do errands. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, changing to carpooling can save a person over $1,000 per year and if you avoid driving alone only one day every week for a year, you can save hundreds of dollars in expenses. Remove excess weight from your car, keep your tires inflated to their proper level and avoid excessive idling, accelerating quickly, braking hard and driving at high speeds, particularly when in heavy traffic. Learn more.
- Efficiently manage your heating and cooling by turning your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer whenever you are at work, on vacation or generally 'away'. You can also turn your water heater down to 120 degrees to save power, make sure your insulation is up to the recommended level for your area, check to see that your windows and doors are not leaking warm or cool air and insulate pipes that pass through unheated spaces. Learn more.
- Save energy around the house to reduce carbon emissions and save yourself money. You can set your appliances and lights on a timer to turn off after a certain period of inactivity, completely switch off electronic devices, use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard light bulbs, weatherize your dwelling and use your microwave instead of the oven to heat small items. Visit 'Home & Work' to Learn More
Energy Star Action Guide: 5 Steps You Can Take To Reduce Air Pollution
- Get an energy audit - An energy audit is the first step in assessing how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. In our homes, over 40% of energy goes to heating and cooling, 20% goes to water heating and lighting and 15% goes to appliance use, including refrigeration. You can perform a simple energy audit yourself with a simple walk-through to spot many types of problems in any building. The U.S. Department of Energy has a lot of information on Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments. You can also hire a professional energy auditor to conduct a more thorough audit.
- Shade the South and West sides of your home – You could save you up to 30% of your annual air conditioning costs and 10-25% on winter heating costs by using leafy trees, arbors, or anything else that can cover these sides of your home, especially the air conditioning units. You can also protect your home from cold winter winds by planting a windbreak of dense small tress or evergreen shrubs along the North and West side of your home. Discover the multitude of benefits trees provide!
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- If you eat meat, add one meatless day a week - Doing so may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Conventional meat is far more expensive when you consider the related health and environmental costs. To learn more about where your meat comes from, watch the documentary Food Inc or visit the Factory Farms page. You can even try becoming a 'weekday vegetarian' or switching to organic, cruelty-free, growth hormone-free meat. Conventional meat causes more emissions worldwide than all the transportation combined. That includes cars, trucks, planes, etc. Conventional meat comes from the 10 billion animals a year living short, torturous lives in factory farms, and can increase your risk of dying by 1/3, if you eat a burger a day. Also, beef production uses 100 times more water than most fruits and vegetables. The list goes on and on. Organic or no meat is better for your body, for the animals and for the environment. Learn more.
- Use a Smart Energy Meter - Smart Energy Meters transmit and receive data to and from your energy supplier while providing you a digital display of the current total power consumption, along with appropriate figures for cost, CO2 emissions and comparisons of energy used on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This informative awareness is a very powerful tool in realizing the sources of your energy consumption and in setting goals for yourself to maintain a certain percentage or number of energy usage. Smart Energy Meters include Wattson, PowerCost Monitor, Energy Joule, and Kill A Watt. Learn more.
