Air
It’s time to clean up the mess we made.
How we live each and every day affects the air we breathe. How we get to work, how we take care of our landscaping, how we run errands, even how we light our homes. So if we want better air quality now and as the population grows in San Diego, we all need to take a close, hard look at ourselves and find the ways we can STAND FOR LESS air pollution.
Facts about our vehicles.
- For every gallon of gasoline burned in the average car’s engine, 19.4 pounds of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere.
- Up to 30% of the greenhouse gases released in the United States come from the vehicles we use every day.
Carpool, use public transportation or telecommute: On average, each day you don’t drive, you reduce your CO2 emissions by 30 lbs.
Money saved: Cut your vehicle miles by 5% through combining trips, walking, biking, or public transportation, and you can save up to $100 per year on fuel costs.
Regular maintenance: A car kept in good running condition with properly inflated tires runs more efficiently and pollutes less.
Don’t top off your gas tank: Gasoline spillage evaporates and contributes to smog. It also contains toxic pollutants.
Support the smog check program: Removing emission control equipment does not improve engine performance.
Report “smoking” vehicles: Call 1-800-28-SMOKE to report vehicles with excessive tailpipe emissions.
It’s not just the cars we drive.
Non-VOC products: By switching to non-VOC and non-toxic cleaning products and paints, you will prevent harsh chemicals the atmosphere and will improve your home’s air quality.
Plant a tree: A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Lawn equipment: Like cars, gas powered lawn equipment contributes to CO2 emissions. By switching to electric or manual, you’ll quietly make a difference.
Barbecuing: When you fire up the grill, use an electric probe, a chimney that uses newspapers, or new lighter fluid that produces less emissions than traditional charcoal lighter fluid.
Avoid aerosols: Most aerosol propellants contribute to smog.
Switch to CFLs: Lower energy use means less energy has to be produced through non-sustainable means.
Recycle: Producing beverage containers from raw materials uses more energy and produces greenhouse gases.
Check out some of our Partner pages and learn more about what each one of them is doing to support air quality and the movement to STAND FOR LESS.
- California Air Resources Board
- San Diego County Air Pollution Control District
- San Diego Association of Governments
For the most current news and information, read the standforless.com blog.