Here are suggestions for ways to reduce air pollution. Choose one you haven’t made part of your lifestyle and make a pledge to yourself to the change. Every conscious decision to reduce air pollution will help make a difference in the quality of life for those who are especially sensitive to the effects of air pollution—children, the elderly, and those who work outdoors. You’ll save money on transportation and energy expenses as well as clean the air.

• Keep vehicles well maintained. Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking wastes gas and can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town.
• Keep your tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can reduce gas mileage by 1 mile per gallon. A tuned engine will operate about 20% more efficiently than an out-of-tune engine. Improve fuel efficiency by 10% by replacing a clogged air filter.
• Buy low-rolling resistance tires. About 1.5% to 4.5% of total gasoline used could be saved if all replacement tires had low-rolling resistance ratings. This translates roughly into an average savings of up to 30 gallons of gasoline per vehicle per year.
• Save gas and turn off your engine when you are picking up your children at school or waiting in a drive-through line at banks, dry cleaners, and fast food restaurants.
• Combine trips. A few short trips with a cold engine can use twice as much fuel as a longer trip covering the same distance if the engine is warm.
• Mow lawns after 6 p.m. on hot, sunny days.
• Use less gasoline-powered equipment.
• Ride the bus to school or work. Use of public transportation produces 95 percent less carbon monoxide, 92 percent less volatile organic compounds and nearly 50 percent less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger mile as compared to private vehicles.
• Share a ride to work and cut travel expenses and air emissions in half.

• Recycle plastic, glass bottles, aluminum cans. It takes 95 percent less energy to recycle aluminum that it does to make it from raw materials. Recycling plastics 70 percent and recycling glass 40 percent.
• Buy only post-consumer recycled paper products. Every 20 cases of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 390 gallons of oil, 7000 gallons of water, and 4100 kwh of energy. It also eliminates 60 pounds of air-polluting emissions and saves 8 cubic feet of landfill space.

• Replacing a 60-watt incandescent with a 13-watt CFL can save you at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.
• Holiday light strings made from light emitting diodes (LEDs) use 75 percent less energy than standard types and can be purchased from local retailers. Better yet, consider solar powered holiday lights.
• Reduce energy use by using energy-efficient lighting and appliances. ENERGY STAR qualified TVs use about 30% less energy than standard units. Earning the ENERGY STAR means a product meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
• Turn off lights and computers when not in use. Cut down on the power your electronic devices use by plugging them into power strips you can conveniently switch off.
• Keep air conditioning and refrigeration systems well maintained. Place your fridge and freezer away from heat sources such as the stove or dishwasher. Heat sources make these appliances work harder to keep their interior cool.
• Insulate water heater and pipes.
• Each degree you turn down the heat saves 3 percent of heating costs. By changing the temperature by 2 degrees all year, you can save about 2,000 pounds of C02 a year. A programmable thermostat can save about $180 a year on home energy bills.

• Buying vegetables and fruits locally reduces pollution caused by transporting food from far away. On average, for each plate of food acquired locally, 2.2 pounds of CO2 emissions are prevented.
• Live by example. Others will feel more comfortable reducing pollution if they see neighbors and friends doing the same.