Tips You Can Try

• Reduce your driving or leave your car at home. Whenever possible, try carpooling, walking, biking or using public transportation--even if it's only once a week.
• Trip Link: Combine small trips into single larger ones. Cars pollute the air five times more after a "cold" start than after a "warm" start, because the catalytic converter has not yet reached its efficient operating temperature. Once warmed, the converter will remain so for about an hour after the engine has been shut off. One easy way to reduce pollution caused by cold starts is to link your trips together so that your car does not cool off between trips.
• Keep your car tuned up. A well-maintained car burns fuel more efficiently--reducing pollution and allowing for better gas mileage.
• Don't Idle. Unnecessary idling wastes gas and excessive idling is not good for the engine. Turn the car off if your wait is more than 30 seconds (except at traffic lights).
• Never remove emission control equipment--performance will not improve.
• When refueling your vehicle, stop at the click. Topping off your tank is bad for your car and bad for the environment.
• Reduce your use of fireplaces or wood stoves. On days when pollutant levels are high, don't use your fireplace or wood stove. When you do burn, use only dry clean wood--not trash. Allow adequate air flow into the wood stove's firebox; small, hot fires are less polluting. Replace old wood stoves with EPA certified ones - they are more efficient and less polluting. Convert your open hearth fireplaces to gas or use an EPA certified insert.
• Replace gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment. Products powered by gasoline, such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chainsaws, emit large amounts of harmful pollutants.
• Replace products that use a gasoline engine with electric or non-motorized models.
• Avoid the use of aerosol products. Aerosol products contain large amounts of volatile organic compounds, which contribute to the formation of smog. Choose alternative, non-aerosol forms of these products.
• Recycle and conserve. Anything that can be used again will help prevent air pollution because it need not be buried in a landfill or burned.