Clean Air! Things You Can Do At Home

Ways to Reduce Air Pollution

Ways you can help reduce Air Pollution from your home!

From Environmental Protection Agency;

We make choices everyday that can help reduce air pollution. Below are a few ideas that you can take to help clean our air.

At Home

·         Conserve energy - turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.

·         Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)

·         Keep woodstoves and fireplaces well maintained. You should also consider replacing old wood stoves with EPA-certified models. Visit www.epa.gov/woodstoves.

·         Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer, but to allow light in the winter.

·         Buy green electricity-produced by low-or even zero-pollution facilities.

·         Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting.

·         Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.

·         Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120F.

·         Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes, and paint strippers.

·         Test your home for radon-a dangerous, radioactive gas that is odorless and tasteless. If the test shows elevated levels of radon, the problem can be fixed cost effectively. Visit www.epa.gov/radon.

·         Choose not to smoke in your home, especially if you have children. If you or your visitors must smoke, then smoke outside. Visit www.epa.gov/smokefree.

Buy Smart

·         Buy ENERGY STAR products, including energy efficient lighting and appliances. They are environmentally friendly products. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov or call 1-888-STAR-YES.

·         Choose efficient, low-polluting models of vehicles. Visit www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.

·         Choose products that have less packaging and are reusable.

·         Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.

·         Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.

(From -  http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/peg_caa/reduce.html ) 

From National Geographic;

Step 1:
 Save energy around the house. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saving energy can reduce carbon emissions. Because most energy sources require burning fossil fuels, the less energy you use, the greener you are. Set your appliances and lights on a timer to turn off after a certain period of inactivity. Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard light bulbs, and use your microwave instead of the oven to heat small items.

Step 2:

Manage your heating and cooling. Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer whenever you are at work, sleeping or on vacation. 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, and insulate pipes that pass through unheated spaces. Check to see that your windows and doors are not leaking warm or cool air. To make sure your furnace and air conditioners are running efficiently, perform regular maintenance.

Step 3:

Cut back on the amount of packaging you purchase and the amount of household waste you produce. The process of manufacturing packaging releases harmful emissions into the atmosphere, so patronize brands that use as little packaging as possible. Recycle everything you can: aluminum, paper, glass, plastic and cardboard are usually easy to recycle. When you are disposing of chemical-based substances like paint, batteries, pesticides or solvents, check with your local waste management office for a safe, eco-friendly method.

(from From National Geographic; http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/5-easy-steps-reduce-air-pollution-2634.html ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

From European Environmental Agency;

Go for local produce!Transporting goods from one side of the world to the other generates a lot more air pollution than transporting them short distances. Try to buy locally produced goods and eat local foods that are in season: transporting and producing them doesn’t generate as much air pollution.

Save electricity!

Don't leave your electronic devices - TV sets, computers, DVD's - on stand-by mode. Switch them off completely and you will save about 10 % of your electricity bill. Buy energy-saving light bulbs and "A"-labelled household appliances. Less electricity consumed means less power produced and fewer pollutants into the air from burning of fossil fuels.  You can further save energy and reduce your carbon footprint by unplugging electronic devices when they are not being used.  Even when they are turned off they still use energy if they are plugged in! 

(From European Environment Agency - http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/air-quality/more-about-air-pollutants/ozone-1/whatcanIdo/avoid-ozone-pollution )