6 Ways to Reduce Your Air Pollution Footprint

We all know our cars contribute to air pollution, but did you know that every time you turn on a light, mow the lawn, or put a soda can in the garbage, you’re polluting the air?

It’s Air Quality Awareness Week, so try one or all of these six ways you can personally create less air pollution and help improve air quality:

1. Use compact fluorescent lights: They use less electricity than incandescent bulbs. About 40% of the electricity we use comes from coal-burning power plants.

2, Use a push lawn mower: Your power lawn mower running for an hour produces as much pollution as six to ten cars.

If your lawn makes using a push mower impractical, keep your mower in tune and be super careful when you put gasoline in your mower. Even small spills evaporate and pollute the air.

3. Carefully store household paints, solvents, and pesticides: Use airtight containers, and dispose of them properly when you’re done with them.

4. Maintain your fireplace and chimney: A well-maintained fireplace or wood stove will burn more efficiently and keep furnace-fueled heat from escaping your home, as well as cutting down on soot and smoke.

5. Use low-VOC paints: Or zero-VOC paint, if possible. Make sure to paint with a brush, rather than a sprayer. Better yet, reduce your use of all VOC products in your home.

6. Recycle and reuse: Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans, and reuse salvaged building materials to conserve energy and reduce production emissions.

Would you swap your power mower for a push mower to reduce air pollution?