Tuesday, May 2nd, marked the beginning of Spare the Air season!
But what does this exactly mean?
Summertime is when smog becomes a major health problem here in the Bay and for the past 20 years the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, or BAAQMD, has managed the Spare the Air program to “educate people about air pollution and to encourage them to change their behavior to improve air quality.”
A layer of smog over Los Angeles. Photo credit: G&R
Between now and through October we are all urged to cut back on polluting activities like driving, using aerosol sprays or gas powered lawn mowers. On days where air quality is particularly bad, there will be “Spare the Air” smog alerts issued; those sensitive to unhealthy air are encouraged to limit outdoor time these days.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to breathe healthy air, you needn’t just cut back on activities that cause pollution, you can embrace environmentally friendly ones to help make this a cleaner summer and spare our air!
When it comes to transportation, 511 Contra Costa offers plenty of resources to help change habits for a cleaner air: walking and bicycling, public transit, or carpooling.
You can also download iSmog, an iPhone app that will send push notifications when the air quality in your area is unhealthy. The app allows you to customize when you would like to receive alerts and is free to download.
You can even plan a fantastic vacation while sparing the air thanks to offMetro SF!
If you want to stay informed about local air quality, or get involved to improve conditions, be sure to check out Spare the Air.
