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.