Smog, Smog, Go Away!

Smog, smog, go away! Come again no other day!

Hi! It’s Scooter, the Spare The Air mascot here.

Sometimes, the air is icky due to air pollution. No one wants to breathe polluted air. In my July blog, I explained what the Air Quality Index (AQI) means. Remember—the higher the AQI, the more pollution is in the air, and when the regional AQI is forecast to be 126 or higher a Spare The Air alert is issued.

Here are a few ways I change my schedule when a Spare The Air alert is announced:

I start each day by checking the current AQI at SpareTheAir.com, especially on Spare The Air alert days. I usually enjoy an afternoon walk, but on alert days, I head out for my walk first thing in the morning, when pollution levels are typically at their lowest.

Most days, I like to meet up with friends at the dog park for some fresh air and sunshine. On a Spare The Air day, my friends and I carpool or take transit so we can reduce gas-powered car emissions to help improve our air quality.

It is my personal goal to teach kids (and kids at heart) about summertime air pollution, the negative health impacts, and how EVERYONE can do their part to reduce smog. On Spare The Air alert days, I plan and prepare for my upcoming events by double-checking that I am well-equipped with informational materials from the free and easy-to-distribute Spare The Air toolkit.

Finally, I use Spare The Air alert days to remind myself that our air quality has improved over the last 30 years—because we have worked together to make it happen! The actions we take daily to reduce gas-powered car emissions can lead to better air quality.

Until next time,

Scooter