Ground level ozone is the main cause of air pollution in Cabarrus County. Burning fossil fuels in motor vehicles is the primary cause of ground level ozone.
Cabarrus County strives to improve air quality in our region. The County has:
- Applied policies and stresses a greater employee awareness and improvement of air quality.
- Established a No Idling Fuel Filling policy for General Service vehicles.
- Replaced many fuel inefficient Crown Victoria with hybrids. There are 34 hybrids in the fleet.
- Implemented an electric lawn mower in use by the Grounds Maintenance department.
Citizens can help reduce air pollution, as well. Simple, but effective ways include:
Drive less
Combine trips, walk, bike, carpool and use buses, subways or other alternatives. Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution. Support community plans that provide ways to get around that don’t require a car. Some alternatives might be more sidewalks, bike trails and transit systems.
Don’t burn wood or trash
Burning firewood and trash are among the largest sources of particles. If you must use a fireplace or stove for heat, convert your wood stove to natural gas. Natural gas has far fewer polluting emissions. Compost and recycle as much as possible and dispose of other waste properly; don’t burn it. Support efforts to ban outdoor burning of construction and yard waste. Avoid using outdoor hydronic heaters, also called outdoor wood boilers. These heaters are much more oxygen polluting than wood stoves.
Make sure your local school system requires clean school buses
A clean school bus has reduced emissions. The reduction occurs by replacing or retrofitting equipment on old school busses. Filters and other equipment get replaced or retrofitted to reduce emissions. Make sure your local schools don’t idle their buses, a step that can immediately reduce emissions. Get involved. Take part in your community’s review of its air pollution plans. Support state and local efforts to clean up air pollution.
Use less electricity
Turn out lights and use energy efficient appliances. Generating electricity is one of the biggest sources of pollution. Excessive electricity generation is particularly prevalent in the eastern US.
How you drive is as important as the type of vehicle you drive. Follow green driving tips to conserve fuel and reduce hHarmful emissions.