Improving Air Quality in North Texas

This information was presented by Mindy Mize and Wendy Vandever. Both women work for the North Central Texas Council Government. The company was established in 1966 with over 16 county regions and total of 240 member governments (cities, counties, and special districts). Their main goal is to improve air quality in north Texas. Other goals include plan communication needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. The air quality is affected by pollutants caused by residential and commercial business. The company identified six main pollutants in DFW area Carbon Monoxide (CO), Lead (P_b), Ozone (O₃), Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x), Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂), and Particular Matter (PM₁₀ & PM_2.5).  Ozone is one of the highest in DFW area and its formation is made from stationary sources, miscellaneous sources, on-road vehicles, no road engines. To reduce these pollutants, there is a measurement system and currently DFW had in 2011 a 90 ozone level and the nonattainment goal is 75 ozone level. Heat and pollution increased in last year meaning that points increased due to that reason. What can I do? I can communicate with public and business to improve local air quality. I can start by knowing the Air Quality Code (See Graph Below). Some of the simple practices to improve air quality are use mass transit, observe speed limits, bike riding, walking, bring lunch to work, maintenance vehicle, combine trips, carpool, buy energy star appliances, and use fluorescent lights. The company has lots of programs but one that I liked to most was the Regional Smoking. It is a vehicle program where a citizen can report an environmental contaminating vehicle, then NCTCG will send letter to owner, and owner repairs vehicle.  What I can best use of what I learned from this presentation is to let myself become more self-concern about the air and how I have been polluting it. Also to teach my relatives and friends on how the air is polluted by general day to day activities that we do, by telling them the alternatives. The insight I gained that might assist me in my future studies and career is no to take natural resources for granted and learned to find sustainable alternatives to preserve them.

Air Quality Code
Green	Good
Yellow	Moderate
Orange	Unhealthy for Sensity Groups
Red	Unhealthy
Purple	Very Unhealthy

 Picture from http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/ozone/current.asp

More information for Vehicle Program.

www.smokingvehicle.net

North Central Texas Council of Government

http://www.nctcog.org/