On Monday, April 27th, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) publicized that the Spare the Air summer season will officially last from now through the end of October.
The summer Spare the Air Season, a time of year when pollution is at its highest, not only aims to better the environment, but also individual health; the pollution caused by cars and other motorized vehicles may cause chest pain and congestion, throat irritation, excessive asthma, inflamed lungs, and even bronchitis and emphysema according to the Menlo Park Almanac.
Driving has produced an unnatural smog layer over the past decade that is especially prominent in the Bay Area. The purpose of Spare the Air season is to diminish pollution in the air by encouraging citizens to find alternative commute options.
Spare the Air suggests these potential alternatives:
- walking
- riding a bike
- taking a bus
- taking a ferry
- taking a train
- other types of transit
- carpooling
- combining/linking errands
The BAAQMD has ascertained through surveys that many employees are inclined to switch to these alternatives if their boss encourages or requires it. Since September, employers with over 50 employees must offer commuter perks. Similarly, the results indicated that if the administration at schools encourage commuting in a way that reduces pollution, students are more likely to adhere to these alternatives.
While M-A’s Instructional Vice Principal Steve Lippi is aware of the start of this summer’s Spare the Air season, the school is not currently doing anything to support the season. Looking to the future, he says that it “sounds like something we should get behind.”
