With the Check Before You Burn season underway, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District wants to let the public know about its Wood Stove & Fireplace Change Out Incentive Program. Low income residents or landlords of low income rental properties may be eligible to get a voucher for up to $1,500. To find more information about the Wood Stove & Fireplace Change Out Incentive Program please visit the following link http://airquality.org/woodstove/SpecialNotice.shtml ###

Check Before You Burn Starts November 1 in Sacramento County and its Cities The fifth season of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Check Before You Burn program starts November 1 and runs through February 29, 2012. Residential wood burning will be restricted or prohibited on days when fine particle pollution is forecast to be high. The law is in effect in Sacramento County and its cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. Residents are required to Check Before You Burn. The District will restrict or prohibit the use of indoor and outdoor fireplaces and wood stoves, and fire pits and chimineas that burn wood, pell

Daisies, Tomatoes and Parsnips, Oh My! The relationship between what you grow and the air you breathe Researchers at the University of Virginia found that air pollution is destroying flower fragrance, making it harder for bees to find flowers when foraging. This proves that the relationship between the air we breathe and what we grow can be a crucial factor on whether your garden will have the best petunias on the block or whether they fall flat. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and the air districts of the region want to provide tips on how you can make the most out of your garden. This can be done while reducing pollutants in the air you breathe and bringing

 How to Care for Your Car and Spare The Air Tips on Taking Better Care of Your Car While Reducing Air Pollution We all know that owning a car is an ongoing responsibility that requires dedication, time, effort and money. Ultimately, the lifespan and value of a car depends on the amount of care it’s given along the way. The everyday care and simple “tune-ups” can be quite easy to brush to the side in the rush of our everyday lives, but a task that we wish we would have stayed on top of by the time we’re forking over the big bucks to pay for parts and labor to fix major car problems. Personal car use is the nation’s biggest contributor to air pollution. For this reason, keeping up with the

A wave made entirely of plastic bottles will be shown at Midtown’s Sub-Q Body Piercing and Tattoos Saturday to raise awareness of large “trash islands” in the ocean. Built by 21-year-old Tahoe City artist “Sannazzaro,” the “Recycled Wave 1” is a prototype of a larger project that will be built with 6,430 bottles – the number of bottles dumped into the ocean every second worldwide, she said. The larger piece will be called “1 Second Wave.” She said her inspiration came from when “my husband and I were using plastic water bottles every day, and when I found out about the trash islands, I thought this project would be a really good way to raise awareness about all the pollution.” The fina

"Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists” Sacramento Sustainability Forum is a monthly venue for connecting businesses, non-profits, government and interested citizens in the Sacramento region in order to promote sustainability, share insights and resources, and support movement toward a more sustainable future. The May SSF event was held at SMUD Auditorium Thursday, May 20. Approximately 65 attendees filled the auditorium, including interested citizens and students as well as members of the business, nonprofit and government communities. The Keynote topic was called "Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists", presented by Mark Reynolds, Exec

Sacramento has been rated the sixth worst metropolitan statistical area for ozone pollution by the American Lung Association, as reported by Forbes.com – and other central valley communities are even worse. Here’s the top 10 (or bottom 10 depending on your perspective): 1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 2. Bakersfield, CA 3. Visalia-Porterville, CA 4. Fresno-Madera, CA 5. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 6. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA 7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 8. Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC/SC 9. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 10. El Centro, CA Sacramento also ranks 7th for short-term particle pollution, but is not listed in the worst 25 areas for year-round particle p

Clumsy title, 15 locations, serious topic: This ranking reflects number of exceedence days by location: 1. Folsom-42 2. Placerville-24 2. Roseville-24 4. Cool-21 5. Sacramento-Del Paso Manor-18 5. Sloughouse-18 7. Auburn-17 8. Sacramento T Street-10 9. Colfax-9 10. Davis-8 11. Vacaville-6 12. Elk Grove-5 12. Woodland-5 13. North Highlands-4 According to the Air District the heavy measuring period is May through October. These numbers reflect state one-hour ozone exceedence standard of .09 parts-per-million. Ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) react with the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The primary source of VOCs and N