Pollution Solutions

Help reduce air pollution by making simple changes in your daily life.

‘Tis the season
to breathe clean and healthy air

The holiday season is quickly approaching! Here are a few facts and tips to help reduce air pollution as we enjoy the season’s various festivities.

Planes, trains and automobiles

Planes currently produce about 12 percent of transportation-related CO₂ emissions worldwide. Train and buses can often move as many people as planes, but they have smaller carbon footprints. Though these modes of transit use diesel fuel, which contributes to climate change, they emit less than air travel.

The average amount of CO₂ emitted by travel can be calculated with this simple equation:

Bus or train: miles traveled x 0.1 = kg CO₂ emitted
Airplane: miles traveled x 0.29 = kg CO₂ emitted

That means that travel by airplane creates almost three times as much CO₂ as traveling by train or bus.

Every gallon of gas burned by automobiles releases about 20 pounds of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Though all cars burn gas, hybrids get more miles per gallon. If you don’t own a hybrid, consider renting one for your trip or purchasing carbon offsets.

Entertaining guests

Treat your guests to a meal made from locally grown, seasonal ingredients. Shop at farmers’ markets to eliminate the long distance traveled by your food to get to your table—and help bolster your local economy.
A microwave uses two-thirds less power than a conventional oven and creates a lot less indoor air pollution in comparison to other cooking methods.^1,2
A slow cooker makes an entire meal for less than 10 cents in energy costs.
In the oven, glass or ceramic pans are typically better than metal—you can turn down the temperature about 25°F and cook foods just as quickly.³

Read more holiday entertaining tips

Light up the holidays

LED light strings use less power and last longer than traditional incandescent ones. LED lights cost more initially, but the bulbs last much longer, offsetting the cost over time.

Turn off lights when no one is around to enjoy them. When you go to bed at night, unplug the lights to avoid excess energy usage.

Run your outdoor lights on a pre-set timer for a specific duration of time.

There’s a chill in the air

Turn your water heater down to 120° or the “normal” setting when home; turn it to the lowest setting while away. Water heating accounts for about 13 percent of home energy costs.

If you have a window air conditioner, remove and store it during the winter rather than keeping it in the window.

Clean furnace filters monthly. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Keep the furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted to save up to five percent of heating costs.

Reverse your ceiling fan motor so that the blades push air up toward the ceiling, where hot air normally rises. The fan will drive the warm air back down around the edges of the room, which can result in more even heating.

The season of giving (and getting!)

Skip the hassle of the mall and save money on gas by ordering gifts online. Help further reduce air pollution by choosing ground delivery.

Gift packaging and wrapping contribute to a 25 percent jump in trash during the holidays. Choose gifts with minimal packaging; wrap in reusable gift bags or recycled wrapping paper; and use old newspaper or other repurposed paper instead of tissue.

Give the gift of clean air by donating to the Coalition for Clean Air in the name of a friend, colleague or family member.

Fall Pollution Solutions

The cool, crisp feel of fall is in the air, but is it easier to breathe? Here are great ways to help make a difference.

1. Set an example for the kids

white car

With school back in session, parents everywhere are faced with the early morning challenge of getting the kids to school. Teach your kids about sustainable transportation by setting up a carpooling network with other parents. The adults can interact with each other, and kids can socialize on the way to school, all while reducing the impact of having multiple cars on the road.

To maximize the benefit of carpooling, combine trips to work and school: drop off the kids on your way to work so you don’t have to stop off at home.

2. Houseplants

spider plant

Houseplants can help clean your indoor air. Putting even just one plant in every room can significantly improve the quality of the air you breathe. As the weather cools off and you spend more time inside, consider the benefits of breathing cleaner air: less respiratory irritation, lower likelihood of sickness and better overall health.

Spider plants, Peace Lilies and Pothos are some of the best choices.

3. Farmers’ markets

gourds

When you think of all the food on the shelves at your local supermarket, do you ever stop to consider how far it has traveled to get there? Tomatoes from Chile or apples from Washington must travel by train, truck or airplane to reach your table, contributing to the release of hundreds of tons of CO2. If the produce is grown out of season, extra resources must be used to heat or cool greenhouses.

This fall, try shopping at farmers’ markets for locally grown, seasonal produce. Find a farmers’ market in your neighborhood.