Get Involved - Take Action

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Make a Difference. Countless everyday choices, from the eco-friendly lawn care products you buy to your commute style, have an impact on our region’s air quality and public health. You can make a difference by preparing and responding to poor air quality days through a range of simple everyday actions. Sensitive groups (children, older adults, individuals with respiratory and/or pulmonary disease, athletes, and those active outdoors) must be especially aware and protective of their health as they experience greater risk during Code Orange and Code Red days. Engaged, action-oriented citizens improve the health of our community and reduce air pollution where we live, work, and play.

Tips include:  

  • Set your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and a few degrees lower in the winter. This reduces energy consumption and will save you money. If possible, invest in a programmable thermostat.
  • Use public transit to get to and from work or add your car or bike as first-and-last mile solutions in your commute.
  • Purchase and use green products to clean your home.
  • When possible, postpone polluting activities, such as running errands or mowing your lawn, until air quality improves.
  • Refuel your car in the evening. Refueling in the evening decreases ground-level ozone pollution.
  • Don’t drive alone! Ask your employer about car/vanpooling or teleworking options. More than one pound of pollution is saved when your car stays at home.
  • On healthy air quality days – get outside and ride your bike to and from work!
  • Find ways to combine errands and eliminate unnecessary trips in your car. Bundling errands will save you time and gas, and will protect the air. 
  • Combine exercise and errands on Code Green days. Walking or riding a bike on short trips will save gas and help protect the air.
  • Avoid idling your vehicle’s engine. Idling pollutes more than stopping and re-starting your vehicle.
  • Buy local, seasonal foods, as their production has a lower environmental impact.
  • Implement low-maintenance landscaping to support pollinators. Plant shrubs, native plants, wildflowers, or ground covers, and minimize grass.
  • And many more!

To learn more and to stay up-to-date on the latest air quality levels, download the Clean Air Partners Air Quality App to your iPhone or Android.