The MPCA offers incentives for lowering air pollution as well as education, advice, and guidance to minimize pollution from these sources. We have initiatives that address a variety of environmental issues, including air quality, for corporations, cities, organizations, and communities.
- Reduce your car usage. In Minnesota, car exhaust is a significant cause of air pollution. bike, bus, or carpooling. Telecommute. electric cars. What would make you use less fuel?
- Keep your vehicle in good condition. Repair the oxygen and exhaust sensors right away. Every month, check the pressure in your tires because under-inflated tires have been shown to reduce gas mileage, especially at slower speeds.
- Stop your car's engine. A concentrated area of pollutants results from an idle engine. Large trucks and buses emit very harmful pollution. Parents and educators can work with their child care centers and schools to create and implement no-idling rules.
- Avoid burning your trash. Burning home trash is generally prohibited in Minnesota because it poses a threat to public health and the environment. If you still dispose of your trash in a burn barrel, wood stove, or fire pit, speak with your county about setting up trash removal services.
- In urban areas, restrict backyard fires. Numerous people may become sick from the smoke from backyard fires, especially in periods of stale weather. People with asthma and other respiratory diseases are particularly bothered by urban fires because cities have higher pollution levels than rural areas. If your campfire is lit:
✦ Fires should be small (3 feet across or less) and brief.
✦ Merely burn dry firewood. Any type of waste, including yard debris, cannot be burned in a fire in the Twin Cities.✦ Never light a campfire while there is a pollution warning. Register to receive texts or emails when air pollution levels rise.
- Plant trees and maintain them. Trees remove toxins and take in carbon dioxide. Additionally, trees help cool our homes and release oxygen into the atmosphere.
- Use hand-powered or electric lawn equipment instead. Pollution control mechanisms are frequently absent from gas-powered engines, such as those found in lawnmowers, leaves or snow blowers. A lawnmower running for one hour can generate almost as much pollution as a 100-mile vehicle drive! Use electric or hand-powered lawn care tools instead.
- Conserve energy. Select energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Obtain an energy audit and heed the recommendations. Unused electrical equipment should be turned off. All of it adds up.
- Become an advocate for fresh air. Point local companies, government agencies, and educational institutions in the direction of initiatives that can help them cut air pollution and improve sustainability.
✦ GreenStep Cities: Local legislation, rewards for positive behavior, and encouraging and informing residents about best practices are all things that city and county authorities governments may do to assist.✦ Small Business Assistance: The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program assists Minnesota companies with environmental regulations compliance, waste and emission reduction, and regulatory burden reduction.✦ Minnesota GreenCorps: An AmeriCorps program run by the MPCA that places members with groups around the state to address environmental issues like air quality, are placed with these organizations. Members may be hosted by nonprofit, governmental, and educational institutions to work on approved projects.
