Image by Brian Teutsch (via Flickr)

The holidays are a time for bringing families together, decorating, giving gifts, hosting parties, enjoying each other’s company, etc.  However one thing I could do without during the holidays is indoor air pollution.  More prevalent during the holidays than any other time of year, indoor air pollution can have a larger affect on your holiday that you might realize.

FACT: A typical house can have more pollutants indoors than outdoors.  Some of those pollutants include dust, mold, bacteria, combustion gases from fireplaces and/or wood-burning stoves, cleaning products, pet dander, carbon monoxide fumes from an attached garage, chemical fumes, cigarette smoke, etc.  Then when you add in the holidays with items such as: candles, holiday baking/cooking, live Christmas trees, new toys/furniture and all the cleaning supplies used to get ready for guests, a house can get pretty toxic.

Now I’m not saying a live Christmas tree isn’t a good thing to have…it’s probably less toxic than an artificial tree.  Just keep in mind the more you decorate, the more toxins and/or pollutants you are adding to your home.  Therefore I would recommend using more natural decorations and less manufactured items (less likelihood for lead, paint smells, etc).  One good decoration is the pine cone…you just go outside, find some pine trees and collect your own.  If you don’t live in an area with pine trees, find other ways to bring in/make natural decorations.

If you really must have those holiday candles, then I recommend SallyLeeCandles.com and her soy candles.  They are much more eco-friendly, non-toxic and won’t contribute to your indoor air pollution like other candles will.  Non-toxic plants and flowers also add more life and decoration to a home and provide a natural scent.

To “air out” the smells and pollutants in your home and help ensure you and your holiday guests don’t get overwhelmed by indoor air pollution, simply open your doors or windows.  I’m not saying throw open your windows in 4 degrees with snow all around, but if you crack open a window in the kitchen while you are baking or open the door now and again to let some fresh air in, it will help keep your home from being overrun by holiday pollutants.  It also helps to keep humidity levels low and discourage mold and other allergens.  There are even some DIY steps you can take before the holidays to combat indoor air pollution.

One of the simplest tips of all, to ensure indoor air pollution doesn’t ruin your holiday, is to enjoy some time outdoors during the holidays. Getting fresh air can do wonders for your health and your spirit, especially over the holidays.  There is nothing like the crisp, fresh outdoors. Take some time to enjoy it this holiday season!

Image by biofriendly

No matter what form of transportation you use, one of the key things you should factor in is cost to you and the environment.  How much does it cost to run that vehicle?  How much is your car polluting the air?  How much will a proven fuel additive help lower emissions and improve fuel economy? Is it better for the environment and less costly to you to use public transportation?  Is time a factor in whether or not you are using public transportation?  How easy is it for you to get to the bus or train station?  Is there a station near your work?  All of those questions are a factor when it comes to deciding what form of transporation is best for you.

We’ve been doing that in our family and continue to find new ways to cut down.  First of all, out of necessity, we became a one-car family.  Even though we have two kids and a 70-lb dog (who goes with us a lot of the time), we just didn’t want to continue to make 2 car payments or pay twice as much insurance, especially since I work from home.  We also recently moved and there are a lot of stores and activities in close proximity to us, so walking is a great way for us to get around (when it isn’t 103 degrees outside).  Getting rid of one car saved us about $500+ per month on just car payments/insurance, not to mention gas, maintenance, repairs, etc.  It also saved about 9 tons of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the environment every year.

Shortly after that we started driving my husband to work one day a week so that we could use the car.  We use it to go visit the kids’ grandparents.  We manage to see two sets of grandparents every time we do it, so it saves us time, gas money and emissions.  To further save gas/mileage, my husband car-pools home from work those days.

Then our most recent step was actually started due to a new program his work set up.  They now pick up employees from Union Station in downtown L.A., if they ride train to work.  His office is about a 10-minute drive from Union Station, so prior to the new program, it didn’t really work for him to take the train to downtown then try and catch other lines/buses to get closer to work.  It took too much time and he would arrive at work late.  But since his company set up this new shuttle service, it has been working great.  He takes the train once or twice a week, when he needs to go to his downtown office, and the company picks him (and others) up.  He likes it because it is a lot less stressful, he gets to relax or work on the train, it doesn’t cost us as much and is less wear & tear on the car.  Oh…and did I mention, when he buys a 10-trip pass and uses it, his company reimburses him for 50% of the cost.

So, no matter who you are or what actions you are currently taking to curb your transporation costs and pollution, take some time to research what else you can do.  You may be pleasantly surprised as your city may have just the right program for you.  For example, in New York there is a group call Transportation Alternatives and their mission is “to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives”.  In the San Francisco and Boston areas, there is a car service called PlanetTran which provides “the Nation’s first public auto service to utilize ultra fuel efficient hybrid vehicles exclusively”.  In Portland, in addition to being a bike/pedestrian-friendly city, they have Tri-Met which includes buses, the Max light rail, WES commuter rail and the Portland streetcars, one of which can pretty much get you anywhere you want to go in Portland.

But no matter where you live, big city or small, you can always check the websites of your local Metro trains, buses and even the EPA has a great “Green Vehicle Guide” to help you cut costs and environmental pollution.  What are you waiting for?

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Even with the large volume of hybrids and electric vehicles being driven around the U.S. every day, there are still millions and millions of  hydrocarbon-based gasoline and diesel vehicles adding to our poor air quality.  For example, these types of vehicles are reportedly responsible for about 60% of the air pollution in most major cities.

What causes these vehicles to create harmful emissions and polluting exhaust?  It’s all in the combustion.  The incomplete combustion of these fuels can cause the hydrocarbons to react with nitrogen oxides (often produced from high temperatures and oxygen in excess of the amount needed to burn the fuel).  Then when the resultant gases hit the sunlight, they form ground-level ozone aka smog.

Now the volume of hydrocarbon-based fuels being used along with the efficiency, or inefficiency, of the cars’ engines will determine the amount of ground-level ozone/smog being produced.   If you have ever been in a congested city you know how heavy the air can seem.  That’s mostly ozone.  Ozone is a very potent irritant and can not only cause eye or throat irritations, but potentially serious lung damage or respiratory trouble.

So what can be done?  Everyone could go and trade their existing vehicles in for electric or hybrid vehicles, but that’s probably not a very workable solution.  Besides where would all the old vehicles go?  We already know they are having trouble disposing of the “Cash for Clunkers” vehicles. 

A simple solution is to improve the combustion of hydrocarbon-based gasoline and diesel fuels.   How do you do that?  Well, a few factors are key: First you should ensure you keep your engine clean and tune up your car regularly.  Built-up and unburned fuel can clog your engine and hinder future combustion.  Second you should use a proven fuel additive that will help un-bundle the hydrocarbon molecules, allowing oxygen easier access and thus producing a more complete burn.

I know this isn’t the end-all solution, but steps like this are something each person and/or company can do in order to ensure the vehicle(s) they are driving burn the hydrocarbons more completely.  Doing so will lower the volume of harmful emissions being produced and clean up the air we breathe.