Vehicles on our roads are a crucial source of the pollution that makes ground-level ozone. Regular maintenance and tune-ups, changing the oil and proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage, reduce traffic congestion due to preventable breakdowns and it could reduce your car's emissions by more than half.¹

What Can We Do About It?

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) helps Texans understand the ozone problem and do their part in preventing ozone formation. The agency forecasts days when conditions are likely to be favorable for ozone formation. "The program asks people to take voluntary action on those days to prevent exceedences of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone."

Since automobiles are one of the main culprits in ozone formation in our region of Texas, we should try to limit our driving on Air Quality Health Alert Days. Actions like carpooling, riding the bus, riding a bicycle, combining errands, and avoiding rush hour traffic make less pollution.

There are a number of voluntary steps that individuals, businesses, and industry can take to limit their pollutant emissions on Air Quality Health Alerts."²

Take Action! Be ozone-conscious with daily activities

	Share a ride to work or school;
	Avoid lunch-time trips;
	Take your lunch to work or school;
	Walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving;
	Combine errands into one trip;
	Avoid drive-through lanes;
	Postpone refueling until after 6 p.m.;
	Don't top off your gas tank when refueling;
	Postpone using gas engines, such as lawnmowers, until after 6 p.m.;
	Keep your vehicle properly tuned to keep exhaust levels low;
	Report smoking vehicles;
	Carpool, use mass transit, walk, bicycle, and/or reduce driving, especially on hot summer days;
	Be careful not to spill gasoline when filling up your car or gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment;
	Make sure your car's tires are properly inflated and your wheels are aligned;
	Participate in your local utility's energy conservation programs; and
	Seal containers of household cleaners, workshop chemicals and solvents, and garden chemicals to prevent VOCs from evaporating into the air. Dispose of them properly.

Tips for Business and Industry: Small Steps, Big Solutions³

	Shift work schedules to help employees avoid morning rush-hour traffic;
	Allow employees to work at home (telecommuting);
	Offer bus passes;
	For employees who RideShare or use public transportation, provide a guaranteed emergency ride home;
	Carpool to lunch and meetings;
	Schedule meetings that don't require driving (meet on site or make conference calls);
	Offer free drinks at your cafeteria to encourage employees to eat at work;
	Postpone fueling fleet vehicles until after 6 p.m;
	Postpone working with mowers, bulldozers, backhoes, tractors, and other two-cycle engine activities during Air Quality Health Alerts (AQHAs);
	Delay painting, degreasing, tank cleaning, ground maintenance, and road repair during AQHAs;
	Postpone routine flaring or venting of hydrocarbons during AQHAs;
	Postpone the loading and hauling of volatile organic compound (VOC) during AQHAs;
	Postpone VOC-producing activities such as chemical treatment and catalyst preparation during AQHAs; and
	Switch loads to fired heaters or boilers with low nitrogen oxide burners;

What is ozone? | Why is there a difference? | How can I help?
Back to Ozone 101: click here
Back to Learning About Air Pollution: click here
Back to Air Quality: click here

REFERNCES

For more information about AACOG's Air Quality Program contact:

Peter Bella, AACOG Natural Resources Director
8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 700
San Antonio, TX 78217
Phone: (210) 362-5249
Fax: (210) 225-5937
E-Mail: pbella@aacog.com