Page Content
 Over 1/2 of the air pollution in California comes from driving. Driving less and driving smart are two big ways to pollute less and save money. As someone who commutes to the Presidio we urge you to consider trying alternative transportation during this year’s Spare the Air season.
Spare the Air season began June 1, 2007. In order to protect public health, Spare the Air advisories are issued on days when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy due to high ozone levels. On Spare the Air Days, Bay Area residents are asked to make clean air choices. Simple everyday actions include driving less, triplinking, taking public transportation, walking, biking, choosing non-gasoline-powered lawn equipment, and avoiding polluting household products can make a big difference. To receive daily air alerts please visit http://airalert.sparetheair.org/.
Tips for Helping to Improve Air Quality
- Tune-up regularly.
- A car that isn't tuned up produces 10-15 times more pollution. If 190,000 car owners start to get regular tune-ups, they will keep some 90 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
- Check fluids, spark plugs and change air filters often.
- Clogged air filters reduce engine power, fuel economy (10% improvement in gas mileage for clean air filters), and shortens engine life. Misfiring spark plugs can cut 2-3 miles per gallon.
- Fully inflate your tires and rotate them every 5000 miles.
- Tires inflated to the correct pressure save gasoline (10% increase in gas mileage), money, and the air we breathe.
- Do not top off at pump, refuel after 6:00 pm and secure gas caps.
- Refueling after 6:00 pm reduces the level of harmful ozone formed by the exposure of gas fumes to sunlight. 17% of vehicles have gas cap problems leading to 147,000,000 gallons of vaporized gas per year, so check to make sure gas caps are secured or buy a new one.
- Accelerate slowly, obey speed limits and use the cruise control.
- Going 55 mph rather than 65 mph buys a 15 % mileage increase. Surprisingly, most cars operate most efficiently (with less pollution output) between 35 and 45 mph. Higher or lower speeds significantly affect performance.
- Check your car's air conditioner for leaks.
- Leaky air conditioners in cars are a significant source of CFCs, greenhouse gases that destroy the protective stratospheric ozone layer. Have your air conditioner recharged by a certified technician who recycles the CFCs.
- Choose radial tires.
- Radial tires have longer tread life, better steering, and less rolling resistance for better fuel efficiency. They also produce less air-damaging particulate matter per mile than bias-ply tires.
- Link trips and reduce "cold starts."
- Every time you start your car after it has cooled down, it emits as much pollution as driving 30 miles. Because an engine’s smog control device takes several minutes to warm up, a cold car that has been sitting more than an hour pollutes 5 times more than a warm car.
- Rideshare, carpool and vanpool.
- Over 50% of air pollution during the week is produced by the cars we drive to work when traffic is jammed and moving slow. About 80% of commuters drive to work alone. With just 1 more passenger per car, 600,000 gallons of gasoline will be saved, and 12 million pounds of carbon dioxide will be kept out of the air.
Contact the Presidio Trust
For questions, suggestions, or comments, please contact the Presidio Trust Transportation Department at (415) 561-5300.
|