Tag Archives: smog

Don’t Sit Idle

Yesterday, I decided to go to the drive-thru of a new hamburger place here in Jacksonville, N.C. Because it is “new,” the line was long and traffic was backed up. As I sat there waiting and idling, I remembered how bad idling is. Why is sitting in an idling car bad? First, there is the emission it releases into the air. It can be so bad that if your city is in a basin like Salt Lake City, the car emission can become trapped, causing smog and unhealthy air. Students in Salt Lake City recently drafted an anti-idling resolution, which … Continue reading →

What Can You Do on Bad Air Quality Days?

I was driving around Portland last week when one of those traffic message boards nearly stopped me in my tracks: HIGH SMOG TODAY. It went on to suggest that I limit my driving (hard to do when one is already in the car and on the road). I didn’t think the Pacific Northwest was a major smog area, but I guess the traffic message flashers don’t lie. Air quality depends on a lot of things, including what’s in the air (it may be particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide, even pollen and mold). Urban areas tend to have more problems with … Continue reading →