For many people, a desire to reduce smoke and pollution has changed the way they use their vehicle:
- Many of you shared that you walk or bike instead of driving when possible. In Prince George, one participant shared that this can have a double healthy impact: "I walk to work so I get exercise and I help reduce emissions."
- In Burns Lake, another shared: "We reduce pollution by trying our best to carpool, as we live in a rural area, and limit our trips to and from town."
- In the northwest, there were a few different travel tips, including: "Walk to work … maintain our vehicles with up to date oil and air filter changes … we don't idle our vehicles for extended periods of time."
- Vehicle maintenance was important in Chetwynd, too, with one person sharing that "We clean our vehicles weekly to wash off the salt and road dirt."
Some people have taken steps to improve air quality in their home, including:
- Practicing safe wood burning ("We only burn seasoned dry wood in our woodstove.") or looking into alternatives to heating with wood ("Not using our fireplace other than in emergency situations such as power outages.")
- Some of you prefer the coziness of sweaters! ("Although we have electric heat as opposed to gas or fire, we still layer up with socks, slippers, and other warm clothes before turning the heat up.")
- Many of you appreciated the role of indoor and outdoor plants ("We have indoor plants and try to cultivate bee-friendly plants outdoors.") and shared that keeping your home clean and free of allergens and dust helped you improve air quality there.
It was also wonderful to read about so many people who have quit smoking and who mentioned air quality as one of the reasons that ultimately influenced their decision to quit! If you need support to quit smoking, visit QuitNow.ca.
Improving air quality involves many different people and sectors but remember, it all adds up!
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