Individual Actions You can Take to Improve Air Quality
As You Travel
Take mass transit, share a ride or car pool. Even if you do it just once or twice a week, youll reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and save money. It costs roughly between 44 cents and 62 cents per mile (depending on car size and type) to own and operate a vehicle.
Have fun! Ride your bike or walk instead of driving. Its a great way to travel and it can help you and the air get into condition. Vehicles on the road create more than 25% of all air pollution nationwide.
Avoid rush hours and listen to the traffic report before you go. Congested conditions with their slow speeds and stop-and-go movement increase air pollution and expose drivers to higher ozone and carbon monoxide levels. Start work early and leave early (or late) if you can to avoid congestion. Better yet, tele-commute, and see if you can occasionally work at home.
Combine your errands into one trip. Vehicles dont reach their maximum operating efficiency until they have been driven for at least 2 miles- so more trips mean more emissions created by the poor performance of catalytic converters during the early part of each trip. When you first start a car after it has been sitting for more than an hour, it pollutes up to five times more than when the engines warm!
Get fuel later in the day. Refueling during the evening can prevent gas fumes from baking in the sun and forming ozone. And that can help keep the air clean.
Tighten down your gas cap. If you would like to save up to 30 gallons of gasoline a year, make sure your gas cap until it clicks 4-5 times to ensure a proper seal (85% of gas caps have this clicking mechanism).
Don't top off your gas tank. Ever wonder why the nozzle trigger doesnt catch when you first start pumping gasoline? Reason: the prior user topped off their gas tank causing gas to get sucked into the pumps vapor recovery system and temporarily clogging the line. When you use that pump next, the trigger clicks several times to clear the vapor recovery line. So those extra couple cents you thought you squeezed into your tank most likely were sucked back into the station. When the nozzle clicks off, stop so you can save money and save the air.
Don't let your vehicle idle for more than ten seconds. Idling can consume as much as a gallon of gas per hour and wastes more fuel than restarting the engine.
Care for your car. Regular maintenance and tune-ups, changing the oil and checking tire inflation can improve gas mileage, extend your cars life and increase its resale value. It could reduce your cars emissions by more than half!
Consider everything before you buy. If you move, choose a location to live that reduces the need to drive. Pick a place closer to where you work, businesses you frequent, and a bus line. Also, think twice before you purchase an additional car. Not having an extra car will discourage you from making unnecessary car trips and force you to make more effective use of the car you have. If you must purchase a car, buy a fuel-efficient vehicle (that gets at least 30 mpg).