On the Alert for Cleaner Air, No Matter the Season

   Everyone who lives and works in the metropolitan New York area learns how to deal with the challenges of the changing seasons. With autumn's arrival, the weather condtions can vary widely, sometimes daily. Fans of Clean Air NY who do their part to improve the air quality with simple and easy steps keep those commitments 365 days a year.

   While summer typically has the highest number of Air Quality Action Day alerts, unhealthy levels of particulate matter can occur at any time of the year. Traffic on many urban streets never seems to take a holiday.

    Such alerts are important to anyone who may have respiratory or immune system issues and to other sensitive groups, such as the elderly and children. Air Quality Action Day alerts are issued through Clean Air NY's sponsor, the New York State Department of Transportation, and its 511NY traffic, transit and travel information source, www.511NY.org. When these days occur, consider these actions to improve your own health and those of your fellow citizens:

    Eat lunch at work. By not driving to dine or to pick something up, you won't add to the elevated levels of pollution. 

    Take mass transit and you'll take one more vehicle off the road. Carpools and vanpools reduce the volume of emissions being generated, too. Working from home on an alert day is another option for some people.

    If you have to drive, try to plan your schedule so that you can combine all your errands to be completed in a single trip. In addition to clearing the air, you'll save time, money and wear-and-tear on your engine. Follow these tips and fall's skies will be brighter for everyone.

Back to school, back to work, back to busy commutes for everyone

   Summer is nearing its finale, surrendering to fall's faster pace. For many families, the Labor Day weekend is a last chance for a getaway before resuming our commuting schedules. Back-to-school shopping excursions and journeys to colleges add to the mix on our busier roadways. Arriving with this new season are new opportunities to be smarter in going about our routines.

    The best choices are those that decrease what is pumped into the atmosphere, no matter the time of year. Transportation accounts for 38 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. If we minimize the time spent driving,by taking alternate forms of transportation, such as mass transit, carpools and vanpools, and by combining trips, we lessen the number of Air Quality Action Days. These alerts signal higher ground-level ozone pollution and particulate matter levels that can affect sensitive groups, such as the elderly, children and people with certain respiratory or immune illnesses. Clean Air NY offers plenty of tips on how to cope with these alerts that are issued through its sponsor, the New York State Department of Transportation, and its 511NY traffic, transit and travel information source, www.511NY.org.

    Fall brings special hurdles for families who want to reduce their carbon footprints. As the school year begins, morning drive time traffic swells. More children are being shuttled to and from school by their parents and fewer students are walking or biking than in decades past. Extra trips for after-school activities make afternoon/evening drive times more hectic, too. With a greater awareness of how these trips add up, families and all commuters can take simple steps to subtract some of them from their routines. In areas where walking or bicycling to and from school and work are viable options, families should consider them, even if doing so every day isn't feasible. The benefit of that exercise, better health, is a perfect complement to the benefit of cleaner air.

     Another lesson to learn for students of every age is the value of eco-driving. The definition of this effective strategy comes from www.ecodrive.org: "Eco-driving is a way of driving that reduces fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and accident rates." How to accomplish this? Go easy on stopping and starting your vehicles; reduce idling time; remove items weighing down your trunk; keep tires properly inflated; and use the overdrive and cruise control featuers if you have them. These tips and more show a little knowledge is a powerful help to our planet.
 

Keep Up a Healthier Commute

Our record-breaking temperatures this summer have made travelers even more aware of the impact our transportation choices can make. Being stranded in traffic, whether you are vacation-bound or going to work, increases the levels of pollutants in the atmosphere and adds stress in many ways.

Poor air quality has been linked to a range of respiratory issues, including asthma, and there are other concerns motorists should consider in their commute, according to a study published this May in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Christine Hoehner of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., the lead author, said people who drive long distances to and from work face an increased risk of "higher weight, lower fitness levels and higher blood pressure, all of which are strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers."

She noted, "Previous studies have pointed to daily exposure to traffic, particularly the unpredictability of traffic, as being a source of chronic stress," raising blood pressure rates; she said these new findings are generating potential impacts on stamina, energy and overall well-being.

Commuters can be creative in choosing alternatives to get to where they need to go, combining one or more of these options - carpooling, park-and-ride lots, mass transit, bicycling and walking. Each can be viable to shorten the time people spend behind the wheels of their vehicles. The benefits are plentiful, from cleaner air to better health.

To inspire you to make smarter decisions about your travels, we at Clean Air NY encourage you to be mindful of Air Quality Action Days when they are announced and to explore http://www.511ny.org/, the free traffic, transit and travel information source of the New York State Department of Transportation. Good health is a precious resource, just like clean air, that we all need to protect.   

Celebrate our nation and its resources

Millions of Americans will salute the founders of our United States on the Fourth with festivities of every size, from parades and fireworks to quiet backyard barbecues. Because so many people are traveling on the Fourth and throughout July, we at Clean Air NY want to alert you to how increased demands on our transportation system create higher pollution levels this season, especially amid summer's sweltering heat.

Motor vehicles are a prominent factor in air pollution as the biggest contributors to what generates ground-level ozone, a major pollutant in our cities. This ozone is produced as fossil fuels are burned, allowing hydrocarbons to react with nitrogen oxide in the presence of sunlight (ultraviolet radiation). As more vacationers hit the roads and streets, more ozone is generated, contributing to cardiovascular and respiratory problems, particularly for sensitive groups.

If you are traveling to a holiday party or event, share a ride with someone or take mass transit for part of the trip. If you're the host, encourage your guests to take these simple actions so everyone can avoid the stresses of holiday traffic.

If you are heading to a vacation, whether it is a weekend in the city to see the sights or a longer journey, know before you go where and when is the best time to travel. By checking out the New York State Department of Transportation's free traffic, travel and transit information service, http://www.511ny.org/, you can learn about any alerts and delays as you map out your route.

Vacationers want to breathe easier this month. With some smart choices, they can do so and honor the legacy of all those who struggled to make our country independent and free. Clean air is part of that celebration.

For dads, grads and everyone: Be smart this summer

June is abloom with travel plans, to celebrate graduations, Father’s Day and the official start of summer. At Clean Air NY, we know there are plenty of presents to give in the spirit of the season that keep on giving and improve air quality.

If your dads or grads are car buffs, give them gift certificates to get an oil change or a tuneup. A well-maintained vehicle produces fewer emissions. For bonus points, do these simple maintenance procedures for them, including checking tire pressure.

For the runner, hiker or rollerblade enthusiast, the proper footwear and other gear make thoughtful gifts, not the least of which is good health. These activities help your loved ones stay in shape and provide cleaner air for all as they reduce their carbon footprints.

Using transit slashes emissions, too. For the grad on a tight budget and who is out there looking for a job, a useful gift is a transit pass or Metro Card. 

When you're out looking for gifts for dads and grads, shopping for the essentials for a picnic or attending the latest summer blockbuster at the theater, don’t waste time, energy and patience looking for a closer space at malls or entertainment venues. Park your car at the first open spot and walk; you’ll reduce the emissions from that endless circling and idling and it probably won’t take you any longer to get inside.

For a glorious gift, take a bike trip across some of New York’s beautiful bike trails. Use 511NY to search for bicycle routes by geographic location. Summer is the time to shine!

Tips for Memorial Day Travelers

With the long Memorial Day weekend approaching, Americans are bound for beaches, barbecues, parades and other gatherings to honor those who died for our nation. The holiday also kicks off summer, unofficially, so now is a perfect time to make smart travel choices that improve air quality.

If you and your friends and family will travel to the same destination together, share a ride. Splitting the cost of parking and fuel among multiple riders saves money, especially with high gas prices. More carpools mean fewer cars heading to recreational areas, alleviating congestion and pollution. To find out more about traffic conditions, check out www.511ny.org.

 If you are the driver, make sure to stop filling your gas tank when you hear the pump “click.” If you keep trying to top off the tank after the click, fumes will escape into the atmosphere instead of remaining safely in the tank.

Finally, fill your tires and check that every part of your car is in good condition. A well-maintained vehicle gets much better gas mileage, produces fewer emissions and helps ensure that you get to celebrate the holiday wherever you go!

The Science Behind Particulate Matter

image by net_efekt used under Creative Commons license

The two forms of air pollution that prompt Clean Air NY to send out an alert for an Air Quality Action Day are ground-level ozone pollution and particulate matter (PM). Here we explain how particulate matter is formed, the different ways it is classified and how it affects us. If you want to learn more about ground-level ozone pollution, check out the blog we wrote about the science behind ground-level ozone.

PM is created in numerous ways. It can be generated indirectly when emissions from burning fuels — especially emissions from motor vehicles, electric power plants and other industrial processes — react with sunlight and water vapor. It also is produced by grilling food on charcoal or gas, burning leaves and brush and burning wood in a fireplace or wood stove. PM pollution also is released into the atmosphere when gaseous pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, react to form fine particles.

Particulate matter is measured in microns and traditionally is classified into two size categories — PM2.5 and PM10. Particulates of the smaller size category (PM2.5) can be called fine particulates, fine particles or ambient fine particulate pollution. The larger particulate category (PM10) most commonly is called inhalable coarse particulates. Some of the most severe health effects, depending on exposure levels, are associated with ambient fine particulate pollution.

Fine particulate matter is one of the most serious air pollutants: the particles are so small that they can get right through the nasal passage, past the trachea and into the deepest parts of the lungs. The particles also can enter the bloodstream via the lungs and damage the body in ways similar to cigarette smoking. PM pollution can cause heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer and has been linked to aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms.