Celebrate Clean Air Month
Questions or comments on this page to ByrdM@sbcapcd.org

Test Drives at Costco May 15-16
Bike to Work Day May 18
Launch of Old Car Buyback Program
School Visits
Clean Air Tips

See Clean Air Month Press Release

Saturday and Sunday May 15-16 
at Costco in Goleta

Test Drive an Electric Car	Test Ride an Electric Scooter or Bike

May is Clean Air Month, and May 17-22 is Clean Air Week, celebrated locally by APCD and the American Lung Association of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

This year APCD is coordinating a Clean Air Month event May 15-16, from 9:30 AM to 6 PM Saturday and from 10 AM to 5 PM Sunday at the Costco Goleta warehouse. General Motors EV-1 electric cars (pictured above) will be available for test drives, and ZAP (zero air pollution) electric bikes and the ZAPPY scooter (pictured above) will be on-hand for test-rides. Costco installed two electric car charging stations at their Goleta store when it opened late last year. These are the first public retail charging stations in the county. Come try something new. For more information, contact Mary Byrd at APCD at 961-8833 or via email at ByrdM@sbcapcd.org. For directions to the Goleta Costco, call Costco at 685-4461.

APCD's electric vehicle (EV) incentive

General Motors EV-1

ZAP Bikes and Scooters

Guide to Low-Emission Cars

Bike to Work Day May 18

Last year Bike to Work Day drew its biggest turnout ever, attracting almost 2000 participants county-wide. This year Bike to Work Day on Tuesday, May 18 (rain day May 20) will include events at seven locations around the county:

Lompoc 7-8 AM, South Side Coffee Company, 105 South H Street
Solvang 7:30 to 9 AM, Solvang Park
Santa Barbara 7:30 to 8:30 AM, State Street and De La Guerra
Carpinteria 7:30 - 8:30 AM, City Parking Lot 3
Goleta noon to 1:00 PM, Goleta Valley Athletic Club, 170 S. Los Carneros
Santa Maria, 4:30-5:30 PM, City Hall, Cook & Broadway
UCSB, 5-6 PM, Faculty Club lawn (for faculty and staff only)

All locations will have free food and t-shirts (first come first served), for people who ride their bikes to work that day. Watch the newspaper and listen to the radio for more details as the date draws near. The Bike to Work Day Committee is also planning a Bike Week kickoff event for Saturday May 15 from 8:00 to 11:00 at De La Guerra Plaza in downtown Santa Barbara, with free bike tune-ups, safety information, and group rides. For more information, call Jonathan Humfrey, Central Coast Productions, at 688-9507, or visit the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition website at www.sbbike.org.

Old Car Buyback Program

May also marks the launch of APCD's Old Car Buyback Program, designed to take older, high-polluting cars off the road. The program offers $500 in cash for a car or light-duty truck that meets requirements including:

• Model year 1973 or older;
• Registered in the county for at least 2 consecutive years before purchase by APCD;
• Passes functioning and equipment test.

Additional restrictions apply. See Old Car Buyback.

Clean Air Month and Clean Air Week in the Schools

APCD classroom visits

During the month of May, APCD is offering county-wide classroom visits for grade levels from 5^th grade through 12^th grade. Length and content of the presentation can be adjusted for the level and type of class and can include:

• Brief presentation on air pollution
• Clean Air Month tips
• Video on air pollution in California
• Demonstration of our General Motors EV-1 (on loan from Saturn of Oxnard) or one of our compressed natural gas vehicles.

For more information, contact Mary Byrd at 961-8833 or ByrdM@sbcapcd.org .

Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools

During Clean Air Week, May 17-22, the local chapter of the American Lung Association (ALA) is kicking off an indoor air quality program for schools. A Tools for Schools kit, developed by the ALA with the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency and several other organizations, helps schools diagnose and correct indoor air problems. For more information, call the ALA office at 963-1426.

Clean Air Tips

Clean air tips from APCD and the local chapter of the American Lung Association(ALA).

1. Use an electric lawnmower.
2. Turn in your older car for cash (watch this website for details).
3. Walk, skate, or ride your skateboard.
4. Ride your bicycle (call 963-SAVE for a county bike map).
5. Carpool or vanpool or take the bus (call 963-SAVE for commute solutions and information on transit systems around the county; in Santa Barbara, see www.sbmtd.gov for bus routes and information).
6. Telecommute.
7. Shop by phone, or online.
8. Hand-wash instead of dry clean.
9. Lease an electric car.
10. Buy a low-emission car.
11. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
12. Educate yourself: on this website, or the ALA website at www.lungusa.org.
13. Combine car trips
14. Buy products made with recycled materials.
15. Buy products with less packaging.
16. Speak out for clean air.
17. Don’t top-off your tank.
18. Use a broom instead of a leafblower.
19. Report smoking vehicles (Call 1-800-END SMOG)
20. Buy foods grown without pesticides.
21. Use a gas grill.
22. Paint with water-based paints.
23. Use a gas log in your fireplace.
24. Buy in bulk.
25. Clean your heating and a/c ducts.
26. Open a window.
27. Use less energy.
28. Clean air conditioners and humidifiers.
29. Reduce, re-use, recycle and re-think.
30. Don’t use pesticides or insecticides (outdoors or indoors).
31. Choose a "green" electricity provider.
32. Take used motor oil to an approved drop-off.
33. Use less toxic cleaning products.
34. Don’t use lighter fluid: start your BBQ with an electric or charcoal chimney starter.
35. Keep your car tuned up.
36. Compost.
37. Don’t burn trash in your fireplace.