Wednesday is the first Clean Air Action Day in West Michigan of the summer season. It’s a day when certain pollutants are forecast to reach unhealthy levels. On days like this the public can take small, yet meaningful steps to help reduce emissions and protect their health.

Things you can do at home:

• Avoid mowing the lawn
• Avoid gardening and using outdoor chemicals
• Keep the thermostat up and keep your air conditioner set at 78° to lessen the need for electricity from coal-burning electric plants
• Consider unplugging unused appliances to conserve electricity

Things you can do at work:

• Consider carpooling, riding your bike or using public transportation to get to work
• Keep all machinery and vehicles well-tuned
• Reschedule lawn and landscape maintenance, parts cleaning and spray painting

Things you can do on the road:

• Combine errands
• Avoid filling up on gas to avoid spills
• Avoid idling

The Rapid is also offering free rides to all passenger Wednesday to help aid in Clean Air Action Day. In partnership with Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, The Rapid is awarded a certain amount of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds each year. They dedicate a portion of these funds to Clean Air Action Days to encourage the community to use transportation alternatives.

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Originally Appeared Here