One Person

1. Use Car Free Transportation.
Walk, bike or take the bus or train instead of driving whenever you can. See www.santabarbaracarfree.org or www.trafficsolutions.info for ideas and resources.

2. Carpool.
Team up with coworkers or classmates in your neighborhood to carpool to work or school. Think about it. If you carpool with just one other person, you’ve cut your costs (and your contribution to pollution) in half!

3. Combine Car Trips.
Drop off the video, and pick up the groceries on your way home from work. Three trips combined into one will pollute less.

4. Report Idling Trucks, Buses and School Buses.
If you see a truck idling for more than five minutes, or a bus idling for more than ten minutes, take down the license number, time and location, and call 1-800-END-SMOG or visit http://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/complaints/icv.htm to report the violation to the state.
If you see a bus idling at a school, call 1-800-END SMOG, or report it online to: www.arb.ca.gov/enf/vehcmplts/idle_complaint.htm

5. Keep your Car Tuned, and Don’t Top Off.
Well-maintained cars produce less pollution. Keep your car tuned up, and your tire pressures up, and you’ll get better gas mileage and reduce pollution. When you’re fueling your car, don’t top off your tank—stop fueling when the pump shuts off.

6. Make your Next Car a Clean-Air Car.
When you go car shopping, look for high fuel efficiency ratings (you’ll save on gas costs), and for a clean-air rating of SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle), PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle), or AT PZEV (a PZEV with an advanced technology component). Hybrid gas-electric vehicles on the market today typically have both good fuel efficiency and clean-air ratings. See our factsheet How to Buy a Clean-Air Car (PDF file) for more info, and check out www.driveclean.ca.gov or www epa.gov/greenvehicles for more.

7. Use Less Energy. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy, turn off lights when they are not needed, buy energy-efficient appliances, and consider using solar power. See www.fypower.org.

8. Buy Less Toxic Products.
Paint with water-based paints, wash clothes by hand instead of dry cleaning, buy less toxic cleaning products, and avoid insecticides and pesticides when possible.

9. Recycle.
Recycle everything you can and try to buy things that are reusable, recyclable and made with recycled materials.

10. Speak Out for Clean Air.
Tell your family, friends and coworkers about the importance of clean air. Support companies that care about the environment with your buying power.

A few other ideas:

Use an electric mower, or push mower, instead of a gas-powered mower.
Use a broom instead of a leaf blower.
Use a gas log in your fireplace, and a gas grill outdoors.
Work from home one day a week.
Don’t use indoor air cleaners that generate ozone.
Find out more about air pollution and lung health at www.lungusa.org, or call (805) 963-1426
Find additional information on the California Air Resources Board website at www.arb.ca.gov.

Return to Publications or more tips on What You Can Do