Sample Article for a Newsletter
Taking the Pledge for Clean Air
Take a look at the air you breathe. It may appear clean, but air quality conditions can be deceiving.
On hot sunny days, when the wind and humidity conditions are "just right," heat and sunlight work to break apart certain chemicals in the air which can recombine to form ozone. These chemicals "cook" over Lake Michigan and are frequently blown back onto land, especially in the late afternoon, by lake breezes.
Ozone can affect your health, causing shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and eye and nose irritation. It is especially harmful to the elderly, children, asthmatics and persons with chronic respiratory ailments.
Because of this risk, meteorologists in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan continually monitor the weather and air quality conditions on a daily basis. When weather patterns indicate that ozone could build to unhealthy levels the for next day, an Air Quality Watch is announced. Citizens, businesses and government agencies are asked to consider taking voluntary measures to reduce the emissions that produce ozone.
(Your company's name) is concerned about keeping ozone levels down. That's why we have joined the Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air initiative, a program which coordinates voluntary actions by businesses, local governments, schools and community organizations throughout the region.
Steps (Company Name) Is Taking
In order to control the formation of ground-level ozone, we are taking steps to (pick and edit as many as apply or add your own):
- Promote the use of transit, carpooling, walking and biking.
- Reduce emissions of ozone producing chemicals, well below the set legal standards.
- Work with local officials to make walking/ bicycling/transit a viable option.
- Provide materials to our employees about actions we can all take to reduce pollution.
- Work with other companies in our community to increase awareness of the health impacts associated with air pollution and the actions individuals can take to reduce harmful emissions.
- Participate in Air Quality Watch initiatives.
Active Role
If you are interested in taking an active role to improve air quality, there are a number of options you can consider. These include:
- Postponing lawn mowing until evening.
- Carpool, walk, ride the bus or bike to work.
- Walking or carpooling to lunch, or bringing your lunch to work.
- Delaying the use of small engines, including motor boats, until late afternoon or evening.
- Keeping your tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage.
- Reducing the use of air conditioning in your home.
- If you have to drive, park in the shade to limit gasoline evaporation.
- Filling gas tanks late in the day.
- Postponing the use of oil-based paints and other chemicals that contain ozone-forming chemicals, or using latex or water-based paint instead.
- Planting shade trees to reduce cooling needs.
- Combining errands to or from work.
- Using electric or chimney-type fire starters instead of lighter fluid when barbecuing.