The Community 5 with Breathe Utah
Cameron Cova, Erin Mendenhall and Debbi Sigman of Breathe Utah all participated in coming up with these suggestions.
This article was originally published at examiner.com. Links updated November 2016.
- Turn your key and stop idling. At traffic lights, look at the pedestrian countdown. It takes as much gas to start up as it does to idle for ten seconds. At the drive-thru, turn your engine off.
- Be mindful of what you are consuming. Turn lights off that you aren’t using. Watch the thermostat for heating and cooling. Keep the heat at a little lower temperature and wear a sweater.
- Talk to your representatives, senators and local government. “An email or phone call is very powerful,” says Mendenhall, outreach coordinator at Breathe Utah. “It has a measurable impact.” It is important to stay involved with government.
- Try mass transit and give feedback about it to Utah Transit Authority or city council and state representatives. It will lead to a cleaner Wasatch Front.
- Make an emergency action plan for poor air quality days. “In Utah, we’re so good about planning for disasters that [air quality] should be on the list,” says Cova, president for Breathe Utah. Before those red air days get here, arrange to have alternate travel plans. Find a carpool, look at busing or talk to your boss about telecommuting.
This article was originally published at examiner.com. Links updated November 2016.