At Make Austin Clean, we are passionate about helping to clean up Austin, which includes keeping our city’s air clean, and this month is Clean Air Month. Usually in Austin we have moderate to good air quality; however on some days this can drop significantly, especially as we near the summer months. So, we have put together a list of 6 things you can do to help keep the air in Austin clean. 

1. Walk or Cycle Instead of Driving

This is probably the most common advice when discussing ways to reduce air pollution. This is because cars emit around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, and in Austin cars and other vehicles are one of the most significant contributors to air pollution. We know that it isn’t always possible not to use your car, however if you can, try to walk or cycle instead as these options don’t contribute to air pollution at all. If you do use your car, try to make only one outing or see if you could carpool with somebody. If we all reduced our car journeys, this would go a long way to keeping Austin’s air clean.

2. Make Sure Your Car Is Running Efficiently 

If you do have to use your car there are some things that you can do to make it more efficient and emit less carbon dioxide. Keeping your tires inflated is an important one and relatively easy to do. Under-inflated tires require more energy and use up more gas. Which, in turn, releases more carbon dioxide into the air. Another thing you can do is to take your car in to have regular tune-ups to ensure that it is running as efficiently as possible. Lastly, try to avoid idling when driving as this is unnecessary and will cause more air pollution. All of these tips not only help to clean the air in Austin, but they will also save you money as your car will use less gas. 

3. Switch to Electric Powered Garden Machinery 

The warmer weather will see lots more people out and about in their gardens, mowing their lawns and maintaining their gardens. However, garden equipment engines produce up to 5% of the nation’s air pollution. This is because they are often older machines that use gasoline and release many harmful chemicals into the air. Switching to electric garden machinery is the best thing you can do to help contribute to cleaner air in Austin. Electric machines produce no emissions as they don’t require any gas or oil. Another benefit of Electric garden machinery is that they are often quieter. However, buying new equipment isn’t always an option, so if you are using a gas or oil-powered machine, try to keep it well maintained as this will reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses it emits And this is still a big step towards keeping Austin clean.

4. Conserve Energy

Conserving energy in your homes is a super easy and quick habit that everyone can incorporate into their daily lives to help reduce air pollution in Austin. Try always to turn off the lights in a room when you leave or put lights on a timer. You could also switch out all your lightbulbs with LED bulbs or buy a smart thermostat. All of these things will reduce your home’s energy usage and therefore contribute to keeping the air clean in Austin. Conserving energy will also save you money as your electricity bill will be lower. If you would like to do more to help keep Austin clean, you could invest in solar panels or wind energy as this will also reduce the amount of energy you use.

5. Plant a Tree

Trees can catch harmful chemicals from the air and trap them, they can act as barriers when planted in the right location, and they provide shade in the hot weather. You could look into planting one in your backyard. This will not only help keep the air cleaner, but it will also help wildlife and the environment around the tree. If you decide you would like to plant a tree, go to the Austin government to find out how you can get a free tree and help support cleaner air in Austin. If you can’t plant a tree in your backyard, there are still ways you can help, such as finding a charity that you could either volunteer with and help them plant trees around the city or donate to them. This will all help in the efforts to keep the air in Austin clean.

6. Recycle

Recycling is a great way to help reduce air pollution in Austin. It has been shown that the air around landfills is usually much worse, so the less waste that ends up in landfills, the better the air quality. Recycling also uses less power and conserves energy, reducing the emission of greenhouse gasses into the air in Austin. If you are unsure about what can be recycled, check out this guide for the Austin government which explains what can and can’t be recycled in our city. If you have trash that can’t be recycled remember never to litter as this will have harmful effects on the environment.  Always throw your trash away, as this will help keep Austin clean.

Start Today

Make Austin Clean encourages you to do your part, not just this month but all year round, to help reduce air pollution in Austin. If you want to help reduce air pollution while also helping our environment, sign up today with our Givepulse link and join us on one of our trash-picking days. They are lots of fun and you will feel great afterward for doing something to help keep Austin Clean.