Recycled Thought

Valley Air: What Can You Do?

Excerps From Valley Air Quality

1) Carpool or ride a bus.

2) Maintain your car. You will cut back on pollution by keeping your car properly tuned and inflating your tires to the proper level. Also, don't top off the tank at the gas station because it releases more vapors.

3) Walk or ride your bicycle to the store.

4) Don't warm up the car for long periods of time.

5) Avoid idling the car at drive-up windows or at train crossings.

6) Avoid aggressive driving. Hard acceleration puts the car in a mode called "power enrichment" in which extra gas is forced into the cylinders, resulting in a spike of pollution emissions.

7) Minimize use of off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. The state Air Resources Board estimates such vehicles often produce many more pollutants than modern automobiles.

8) Consider trading in your 1980s or older vehicle for a newer, cleaner-running car. Your choices now include electric, hybrid electric-gasoline and natural gas vehicles. The electric vehicles emit zero pollution. The others put out 50% to 90% less pollution than a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle.

9) Buy energy-conserving refrigerators, washers, ovens and other appliances. The less energy you use, the less fossil-fuel plants need to run and send out pollution.

10) Consider installing solar power at your home. Each kilowatt-hour produced by "renewable" power producers means a pollution savings from fossil-fuel power plants.

11) Switch from your gasoline-powered mower to electric. In fact, go electric on as many yard tools as possible -- hedge trimmers, edgers, chainsaws.

12) Buy a gas grill. Or switch to a chimney starter for your charcoals and don't use starter fluid, which sends out pollution.

13) Stop burning your wood in a standard, masonry fireplace. Use a federally certified wood stove or similar device. Or don't burn at all.

14) Seal all paints and solvents in the garage. Escaping fumes contribute to air pollution.

posted by Tom @ 2:28 PM