Things Your Family Can Do To Cut Air PollutionAsk your mom or dad if it’s OK to ride your bike or walk with a friend to nearby activities instead of being driven in a car. You’ll get lots of exercise and reduce air pollution, too!When you need to go farther, arrange to carpool with friends and neighbors to school activities, sports, movies, and other places. It will save gas and help clean our air. Remember, its COOL to pool! Or take the bus! Call your local transit district for a schedule. When shopping or browsing in downtown Santa Barbara, park in a central location and take the electric shuttle bus. Encourage your mom and dad to carpool, bike, or take the bus to work—even if only one day a week. If they need help finding a carpool partner, they can call 963-SAVE. Remind your mom or dad to keep the family’s car or truck in good running condition so it doesn’t pollute too much. Here are some things that can help: When your family barbecues, start the charcoal with an electric or chimney-type fire starter instead of lighter fluid. Or, if you can, replace your barbecue with a new one powered by propane gas. Encourage your family to recycle glass, aluminum, newspaper, cardboard, and plastic (if accepted by your neighborhood recycler). Try to buy things without a lot of wasteful packaging and buy paper and plastic goods that are made with recycled materials. Conserve energy in your home. Turn out the lights and other electric appliances when you’re not using them. If your family will be painting around the house, indoors or out, use water-based paints and brushes or rollers instead of spray cans. Become your family’s air quality expert. During warm weather, keep track of the air quality in your area. Air quality readings from the previous day are found on the weather page of your local paper, or call our daily report, 961-8804. You can also find hourly air quality readings on Today's Air Quality. Help your family make plans to reduce driving and avoid using gasoline powered garden tools (like lawnmowers and leafblowers) on days when the air is unhealthy.
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