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What is Earth hour you might ask? Earth Hour is a movement that started back in 2007 on March 31 2007. It started with a question, “How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?” The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. 2.2 million [...]

What is Earth hour you might ask? Earth Hour is a movement that started back in 2007 on March 31 2007. It started with a question, “How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?” The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. 2.2 million [...]

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=stack of clothes/iStockPhoto height=300 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-774838847-1241208299.jpg?ymrnOMBDW7SbKI1N width=201//divpWondering what to do with all the clutter you’ve cleared out of your closets and drawers? What seems like junk to you can be valuable to someone else so consider donating to one of the several charities that make it easy for you to turn your trash into someone else’s treasure. /ppSome ideas to get you started:   /pullistrongEyeglasses:/strong Drop off your old prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses at your nearest a href=http://www.sunglasshut.com/sgh/about.jsp#giftSunglass Hut/a. The company will deliver them to those in need through its work with a href=http://www.onesight.org/OneSight/a, a global non-profit. a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/how-you-can-help.phpLions Club International/a has a similar program. Contact your a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/find-a-club.phplocal club/a to find out where you can bring old eyeglasses or mail them to a a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/lions-eyeglass-recycling-centers.phprecycling center/a. /li/ulullistrongShoes:/stronga href=http://www.soles4souls.org/index.htmlSoles4Souls/a collects gently worn shoes and distributes them to the needy. Drop off your old shoes at a a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.cginearby donation location/a or a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/shipping.htmlmail/a them to one of its distribution centers. An added incentive: Get 10% off a new pair of a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/news/2009/04-20/timberland-and-soles4souls-launch-nationwide-shoe-donation-programTimberland footwear/a when you drop off a pair of gently used shoes at one of its stores. If your athletic shoes are too worn out to donate, then Nike will recycle them into a material that’s used in sports surfaces, playgrounds, and new products. Click a href=http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/get-involved/individual-shoe-recyclinghere/a for Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe drop-off locations and a mail in address. /li/ulullistrongWomen’s work clothes:/stronga href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/whatwedo.aspxDress for Success/a helps disadvantaged women get jobs by providing professional clothing, career development workshops, and a support network. Donate your suits, blouses, and other work clothes and shoes that are clean and in good shape. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing an outfit to a job interview, then don’t donate it. Click a href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/supportdfs_donate_clothing.aspxhere/a for more details on what to give.  /li/ulullistrongWedding Dress/strong: Each year thousands of new and used wedding gowns are donated to a href=http://www.makingmemories.org/about_us.htmlBrides Against Breast Cancer/a. The organization sells them to brides at discounted prices and uses the proceeds to benefit women with metastatic breast cancer and their families. I can’t think of a better use for a gown that’s just collecting dust at the back of a closet. /li/ulullistrong/strongstrongProm Dresses: /stronga href=http://www.donatemydress.org/index.htmlDonateMyDress.org/a helps girls donate special occasion dresses to those who can’t afford them. Click a href=http://www.donatemydress.org/donate.htmlhere/a for a list of drop-off locations. /li/ulullistrongBooks/strong: Ask your local library, school, or hospital if they can use books you no longer need. Otherwise, consider sending them to the a href=http://glpinc.org/Web_pages/Book%20Donation%20Guidelines.htmGlobal Literacy Project/a, which distributes books to communities, libraries, and schools around the world. There are also several websites that are dedicated to helping you a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/17/a-greener-and-cheaper-way-to-read-books-no-not-the-kindle.htmlswap old books/a into new reading material. /li/ulullistrongElectronics:/strong The a href=http://www.cristina.org/donate.htmlNational Cristina Foundation/a will find a charity, school, or public agency that needs your old computer, laptop, printer, peripherals, or software. Turn your old cell phone into prepaid calling cards that make it possible for overseas soldiers to call home by mailing it to a href=http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/shippingLabel_generic.htmlCell Phones for Soldiers/a.  Here’s a a href=http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/cell-phone-recycling.htmlist of other ways/a you can put your old cell phone to good use. Click here for a a href=http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htmlist of stores and manufacturers/a that will recycle electronics or search a href=http://earth911.com/electronics/Earth911′s extensive database/a to find out what your local options are. /li/ulp /ppThere’s always the option of turning your trash into your own treasure. Try a href=http://www.ebay.com/eBay/a, a href=http://www.craigslist.org/about/sitesCraigslist/a, having a garage sale or selling items to your local consignment shop. /ppWhat if you can’t find a buyer or a place to donate? Give unwanted items away for free to someone who lives nearby. Click a href=http://green.yahoo.com/earth-day/find-a-group.htmlhere/a to find your local reuse group. /pp         /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em

What is Earth hour you might ask? Earth Hour is a movement that started back in 2007 on March 31 2007. It started with a question, “How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?” The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. 2.2 million [...]

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=image name height=230 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/smog-report-card-md.jpg width=300/br /em(Photo: Giorgio Fochesato / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpAmerica’s air is markedly cleaner than it was nearly 40 years ago, when the Clean Air Act was passed. Toxic chemicals, smog and soot are less pervasive today. But science has also taught us, since then, that lower levels of pollutants do serious harm — to our lungs, our hearts and circulatory systems, and to the development of our children. Science has shown that, despite significant reduction in acid rain, mountain streams are still struggling to recover from decades of abuse, leaving water there toxic to much fish and plant life./ppIn other words, as the American Lung Association’s 10th annual State of the Air puts it: Air pollution continues to threaten the lives and health of millions of people in the United States despite great progress since the modern Clean Air Act was first passed in 1970. Even as the nation explores the complex challenges of global warming and energy, air pollution remains widespread and dangerous./ppThe report, released this week, focuses on the two forms of air pollution most dangerous to lungs: Smog (a.k.a. ozone) and soot (a.k.a. fine particulates). Particulate pollution was analyzed in two ways — short-term and long-term levels./ppOzone forms on hot sunny days when smokestack and tailpipe pollution interacts with heat and sunlight. The result is ozone, a major component of smog. It’s the same molecule that, in the upper atmosphere, protects our skin from harmful radiation from the sun; but at ground level it scars lung tissue, causing permanent damage and making it unhealthy to exercise or, for sensitive individuals like the young, the elderly and those with lung disease, even breathe. Particulates can come in the form of familiar dust and soot, but also in the form of chemicals that form as tiny droplets after being spewed out of tailpipes and smokestacks./ppMore than 175 million Americans — six in 10 — live in counties where high ozone levels were detected — nearly twice as many as were at risk in 2008. That increase is largely due to new government calculations that account for new scientific understanding of risk of exposure at lower levels for shorter durations./ppEven as cities have taken steps to reduce pollution sources, global warming is producing more hot sunny days, extending the ozone pollution season (April heat wave, anyone?) and increasing the number of days likely to produce unhealthy levels of ozone pollution./ppOf the 25 most-polluted U.S. cities, 16 had worse ozone pollution than one year ago, according to the American Lung Association. Thirteen had worse particulate pollution./ph2The Cleanest Cities in the U.S./h2ollistrongFargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN/strong This is the only city area to appear on the American Lung Association’s list of cleanest cities when measured by all three criteria — ozone, short-term particulates and long-term particulates. The others on this list appeared on two of the three./liliBillings, MT/liliBismarck, ND/liliCheyenne, WY/liliColorado Springs, CO/liliFarmington, NM/liliFt. Collins, CO/liliHonolulu, HI/liliLincoln, NE/liliMidland-Odessa, TX/liliPort St. Lucie, FL/liliPueblo, CO/liliRedding, CA/liliSalinas, CA/liliSan Luis Obispo, CA/liliSanta Fe-Espanola, NM/liliSioux Falls, ND/liliTucson, AZ/li/olh225 Cities With The Worst Air Pollution: Ozone (Smog)/h2olliLos Angeles/Long Beach/Rierside, Calif./liliBakersfield, Calif./liliVisalia-Porterville, Calif./liliFresno/Madera, Calif./liliHouston/Baytown/Huntsville, Texas/liliSacramento, Calif./Arden-Arcade/Yuba City, Nevada/liliDallas/Fort Worth, Texas./liliCharlotte/Gastonia/Salisbury, N.C./liliPhoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz./liliEl Centro, Calif./liliHanford/Corcoran, Calif./liliLas Vegas/Paradise/Pahrump, Nevada/liliSand Diego/Carslbad/San Marcos, Calif./liliWashington, D.C./Baltimore, Md./No. Virginia /liliCincinnati, Ohio/Middletown, Ky./Wilmington, In./liliPhiladelphia, Pa./ Camden, N.J./ Vineland, De./liliSt. Louis, Mo. / St. Charles / Farmington, Il./liliNew York, N.Y. / Newark, N.J. / Bridgeport, Conn./liliKnoxville/Sevierville/ La Follette, Tenn./liliBirmingham/Hoover/Cullman, Ala./liliBaton Rouge/ Pierre Part, La./liliKansas City, Mo./ Overland Park, Ks. /liliAtlanta, Ga. / Sandy Springs / Gainesville, Ala./liliMerced, Calif./liliMemphis, Tenn./li/olh225 Counties With The Worst Air Pollution: Short-term Particulates/h2pCity data unavailable at the moment./polliAllegheny, Pa./liliFresno, Calif./liliKern, Calif./liliRiverside, Calif./liliJefferson, Ala./liliLos Angeles, Calif./liliSalt Lake, Utah/liliSacramento, Calif./liliCache, Utah/liliCook, Ill./liliWayne, Mich./liliMarion, Ind./liliTulare, Calif./liliLane, Ore./liliSan Bernardino, Calif./liliBaltimore City, Md./liliKings, Calif./liliOrange, Calif./liliUnion, N.J./liliStanislaus, Calif./liliWashington, Pa./liliMerced, Calif./liliJefferson, Ky./liliPhiladelphia, Pa./liliSanta Clara, Pa./li/olh225 Cities With The Worst Air Pollution: Long-term Particulates/h2olliBakersfield, Calif./liliPittsburgh/ New Castle, Pa./liliLos Angeles/Long Beach/Rierside, Calif./liliVisalia-Porterville, Calif./liliBirmingham/Hoover/Cullman, Ala./liliFresno/Madera, Calif./liliCincinnati, Ohio/Middletown, Ky./Wilmington, In./liliDetroit/Warren/Flint, Mich./liliCleveland/Akron/Elyria, Ohio/liliCharleston, W.V./liliHuntington/Ashland, W.V./Ky./Ohio/liliLouisville, Ky./Jefferson County/Elizabethtown/Scottsburg, In./liliMacon/Warner Robins/Fort Valley, Ga./liliSt. Louis, Mo. / St. Charles / Farmington, Il./liliWeirton, W.V./ Steubenville, Ohio/liliAtlanta, Ga. / Sandy Springs / Gainesville, Ala./liliIndianapolis/Anderson/Columbus, In./liliRome, Ga./liliCanton/Massillon, Ohio/liliYor/Hanover/Gettysburg, Pa./liliLancaster, Pa./liliNew York, N.Y. / Newark, N.J. / Bridgeport, Conn./liliHagerstown, Md./Martinsburg, W.V./liliHouston/Baytown/Huntsville, Texas/li/olpema href=http://www.stateoftheair.org/ target=_newSee how your city’s air quality ranks/a./em/ppBut most people are not in those clean counties. One in eight lives in a county where all three pollutants reach unhealthy levels, according to the American Lung Association. Among them, at least 4 million children and 10.9 million adults with asthma are exposed to unhealthy air. At least 20.4 million adults over age 65, and 44 million children under the age of 18 are exposed to unhealthy air. And at least 4.4. million people with chronic bronchitis, and 2.1 million people with emphysema are exposed to unhealthy air./ppAir pollution isn’t just a risk factor for lung disease, but heart disease and diabetes, too, research shows. At least 24.5 million people with cardiovascular diseases and 5.2 million people with diabetes are exposed to unhealthy air./ppWhat can be done? The American Lung Association recommends these actions:/pulliClean up coal-fired power plants./liliClean up dirty diesel engines currently on and off the road./liliClean up dirty ocean-going vessels. /liliTighten ozone and particulate exposure standards to reflect current science./liliRequire all counties with high air pollution levels to crack down on sources./liliDrive less by combining trips, walking, biking, carpooling and using public transportation to limit your contribution to air pollution — especially on hot, sunny days./liliDon’t burn wood or trash, to avoid releasing particulates in smoke into your neighborhood’s air./liliEncourage your school district to retrofit old school buses with modern pollution controls, and to stop idling in school parking lots./liliConserve energy, because every bit of electricity saved means less pollution from the power plant supplying your electricity./li/ulstrongMore from The Daily Green/strongpa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/indoor-air-quality-47020101?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Purify Indoor Air/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-remodeling-low-voc-paints-460212?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgChoose Low-VOC Paint for Clean Indoor Air/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/plug-in-hybrid-schoo-bus-47042004?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Clean Up Dirty Diesel School Buses/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Most Fuel-Efficient 2009 Cars and SUVs/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-money-gas-47050902?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Burn Less Gas, and Clean the Air/a/pp /ppReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/pp /pbr /p /pbr /p /p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=stack of clothes/iStockPhoto height=300 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-774838847-1241208299.jpg?ymrnOMBDW7SbKI1N width=201//divpWondering what to do with all the clutter you’ve cleared out of your closets and drawers? What seems like junk to you can be valuable to someone else so consider donating to one of the several charities that make it easy for you to turn your trash into someone else’s treasure. /ppSome ideas to get you started:   /pullistrongEyeglasses:/strong Drop off your old prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses at your nearest a href=http://www.sunglasshut.com/sgh/about.jsp#giftSunglass Hut/a. The company will deliver them to those in need through its work with a href=http://www.onesight.org/OneSight/a, a global non-profit. a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/how-you-can-help.phpLions Club International/a has a similar program. Contact your a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/find-a-club.phplocal club/a to find out where you can bring old eyeglasses or mail them to a a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/lions-eyeglass-recycling-centers.phprecycling center/a. /li/ulullistrongShoes:/stronga href=http://www.soles4souls.org/index.htmlSoles4Souls/a collects gently worn shoes and distributes them to the needy. Drop off your old shoes at a a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.cginearby donation location/a or a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/shipping.htmlmail/a them to one of its distribution centers. An added incentive: Get 10% off a new pair of a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/news/2009/04-20/timberland-and-soles4souls-launch-nationwide-shoe-donation-programTimberland footwear/a when you drop off a pair of gently used shoes at one of its stores. If your athletic shoes are too worn out to donate, then Nike will recycle them into a material that’s used in sports surfaces, playgrounds, and new products. Click a href=http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/get-involved/individual-shoe-recyclinghere/a for Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe drop-off locations and a mail in address. /li/ulullistrongWomen’s work clothes:/stronga href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/whatwedo.aspxDress for Success/a helps disadvantaged women get jobs by providing professional clothing, career development workshops, and a support network. Donate your suits, blouses, and other work clothes and shoes that are clean and in good shape. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing an outfit to a job interview, then don’t donate it. Click a href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/supportdfs_donate_clothing.aspxhere/a for more details on what to give.  /li/ulullistrongWedding Dress/strong: Each year thousands of new and used wedding gowns are donated to a href=http://www.makingmemories.org/about_us.htmlBrides Against Breast Cancer/a. The organization sells them to brides at discounted prices and uses the proceeds to benefit women with metastatic breast cancer and their families. I can’t think of a better use for a gown that’s just collecting dust at the back of a closet. /li/ulullistrong/strongstrongProm Dresses: /stronga href=http://www.donatemydress.org/index.htmlDonateMyDress.org/a helps girls donate special occasion dresses to those who can’t afford them. Click a href=http://www.donatemydress.org/donate.htmlhere/a for a list of drop-off locations. /li/ulullistrongBooks/strong: Ask your local library, school, or hospital if they can use books you no longer need. Otherwise, consider sending them to the a href=http://glpinc.org/Web_pages/Book%20Donation%20Guidelines.htmGlobal Literacy Project/a, which distributes books to communities, libraries, and schools around the world. There are also several websites that are dedicated to helping you a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/17/a-greener-and-cheaper-way-to-read-books-no-not-the-kindle.htmlswap old books/a into new reading material. /li/ulullistrongElectronics:/strong The a href=http://www.cristina.org/donate.htmlNational Cristina Foundation/a will find a charity, school, or public agency that needs your old computer, laptop, printer, peripherals, or software. Turn your old cell phone into prepaid calling cards that make it possible for overseas soldiers to call home by mailing it to a href=http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/shippingLabel_generic.htmlCell Phones for Soldiers/a.  Here’s a a href=http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/cell-phone-recycling.htmlist of other ways/a you can put your old cell phone to good use. Click here for a a href=http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htmlist of stores and manufacturers/a that will recycle electronics or search a href=http://earth911.com/electronics/Earth911′s extensive database/a to find out what your local options are. /li/ulp /ppThere’s always the option of turning your trash into your own treasure. Try a href=http://www.ebay.com/eBay/a, a href=http://www.craigslist.org/about/sitesCraigslist/a, having a garage sale or selling items to your local consignment shop. /ppWhat if you can’t find a buyer or a place to donate? Give unwanted items away for free to someone who lives nearby. Click a href=http://green.yahoo.com/earth-day/find-a-group.htmlhere/a to find your local reuse group. /pp         /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em

pimg height=183 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_ecogeek/loreal.jpg width=468 //ppWe knew that the use of a href=http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2510/81/biomass/a as an energy source was growing, but we didn’t know it had gone chic. L’Oreal Cosmetics has announced that they are installing a biomass system at their factory in Libramont, Belgium where they produce many of their brands’ haircare products./ppThe plant will feature an anaerobic digestion system that will capture methane from waste that comes from nearby cattle farms. When the system’s installation is completed at the end of the summer, methane will be used to generate 85% of the plant’s power. Even better is that this is just a single step in the cosmetics giant’s plan to cut their factory and warehouse emissions in half by 2015 (based on 2005 levels)./ppIn order to meet their goal, the company will be installing additional on-site renewable energy systems like solar PV and solar thermaland buying more green power from suppliers./ppThe company also hopes to cut their water use by 30 to 35 percent in the same time frame by using rainwater capture and steam-cleaning technologies./ppIt’s great to see a large beauty company like L’Oreal making substantial commitments to reducing their emissions and water use. Now, to get them to make significant changes in their packaging and ingredients…/ppvia a href=http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2240984/l-oreal-brews-slurry-poweredBusiness Green/a/p

pimg height=183 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_ecogeek/loreal.jpg width=468 //ppWe knew that the use of a href=http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2510/81/biomass/a as an energy source was growing, but we didn’t know it had gone chic. L’Oreal Cosmetics has announced that they are installing a biomass system at their factory in Libramont, Belgium where they produce many of their brands’ haircare products./ppThe plant will feature an anaerobic digestion system that will capture methane from waste that comes from nearby cattle farms. When the system’s installation is completed at the end of the summer, methane will be used to generate 85% of the plant’s power. Even better is that this is just a single step in the cosmetics giant’s plan to cut their factory and warehouse emissions in half by 2015 (based on 2005 levels)./ppIn order to meet their goal, the company will be installing additional on-site renewable energy systems like solar PV and solar thermaland buying more green power from suppliers./ppThe company also hopes to cut their water use by 30 to 35 percent in the same time frame by using rainwater capture and steam-cleaning technologies./ppIt’s great to see a large beauty company like L’Oreal making substantial commitments to reducing their emissions and water use. Now, to get them to make significant changes in their packaging and ingredients…/ppvia a href=http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2240984/l-oreal-brews-slurry-poweredBusiness Green/a/p

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=image name height=230 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_daily_news/smog-report-card-md.jpg width=300/br /em(Photo: Giorgio Fochesato / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpAmerica’s air is markedly cleaner than it was nearly 40 years ago, when the Clean Air Act was passed. Toxic chemicals, smog and soot are less pervasive today. But science has also taught us, since then, that lower levels of pollutants do serious harm — to our lungs, our hearts and circulatory systems, and to the development of our children. Science has shown that, despite significant reduction in acid rain, mountain streams are still struggling to recover from decades of abuse, leaving water there toxic to much fish and plant life./ppIn other words, as the American Lung Association’s 10th annual State of the Air puts it: Air pollution continues to threaten the lives and health of millions of people in the United States despite great progress since the modern Clean Air Act was first passed in 1970. Even as the nation explores the complex challenges of global warming and energy, air pollution remains widespread and dangerous./ppThe report, released this week, focuses on the two forms of air pollution most dangerous to lungs: Smog (a.k.a. ozone) and soot (a.k.a. fine particulates). Particulate pollution was analyzed in two ways — short-term and long-term levels./ppOzone forms on hot sunny days when smokestack and tailpipe pollution interacts with heat and sunlight. The result is ozone, a major component of smog. It’s the same molecule that, in the upper atmosphere, protects our skin from harmful radiation from the sun; but at ground level it scars lung tissue, causing permanent damage and making it unhealthy to exercise or, for sensitive individuals like the young, the elderly and those with lung disease, even breathe. Particulates can come in the form of familiar dust and soot, but also in the form of chemicals that form as tiny droplets after being spewed out of tailpipes and smokestacks./ppMore than 175 million Americans — six in 10 — live in counties where high ozone levels were detected — nearly twice as many as were at risk in 2008. That increase is largely due to new government calculations that account for new scientific understanding of risk of exposure at lower levels for shorter durations./ppEven as cities have taken steps to reduce pollution sources, global warming is producing more hot sunny days, extending the ozone pollution season (April heat wave, anyone?) and increasing the number of days likely to produce unhealthy levels of ozone pollution./ppOf the 25 most-polluted U.S. cities, 16 had worse ozone pollution than one year ago, according to the American Lung Association. Thirteen had worse particulate pollution./ph2The Cleanest Cities in the U.S./h2ollistrongFargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN/strong This is the only city area to appear on the American Lung Association’s list of cleanest cities when measured by all three criteria — ozone, short-term particulates and long-term particulates. The others on this list appeared on two of the three./liliBillings, MT/liliBismarck, ND/liliCheyenne, WY/liliColorado Springs, CO/liliFarmington, NM/liliFt. Collins, CO/liliHonolulu, HI/liliLincoln, NE/liliMidland-Odessa, TX/liliPort St. Lucie, FL/liliPueblo, CO/liliRedding, CA/liliSalinas, CA/liliSan Luis Obispo, CA/liliSanta Fe-Espanola, NM/liliSioux Falls, ND/liliTucson, AZ/li/olh225 Cities With The Worst Air Pollution: Ozone (Smog)/h2olliLos Angeles/Long Beach/Rierside, Calif./liliBakersfield, Calif./liliVisalia-Porterville, Calif./liliFresno/Madera, Calif./liliHouston/Baytown/Huntsville, Texas/liliSacramento, Calif./Arden-Arcade/Yuba City, Nevada/liliDallas/Fort Worth, Texas./liliCharlotte/Gastonia/Salisbury, N.C./liliPhoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz./liliEl Centro, Calif./liliHanford/Corcoran, Calif./liliLas Vegas/Paradise/Pahrump, Nevada/liliSand Diego/Carslbad/San Marcos, Calif./liliWashington, D.C./Baltimore, Md./No. Virginia /liliCincinnati, Ohio/Middletown, Ky./Wilmington, In./liliPhiladelphia, Pa./ Camden, N.J./ Vineland, De./liliSt. Louis, Mo. / St. Charles / Farmington, Il./liliNew York, N.Y. / Newark, N.J. / Bridgeport, Conn./liliKnoxville/Sevierville/ La Follette, Tenn./liliBirmingham/Hoover/Cullman, Ala./liliBaton Rouge/ Pierre Part, La./liliKansas City, Mo./ Overland Park, Ks. /liliAtlanta, Ga. / Sandy Springs / Gainesville, Ala./liliMerced, Calif./liliMemphis, Tenn./li/olh225 Counties With The Worst Air Pollution: Short-term Particulates/h2pCity data unavailable at the moment./polliAllegheny, Pa./liliFresno, Calif./liliKern, Calif./liliRiverside, Calif./liliJefferson, Ala./liliLos Angeles, Calif./liliSalt Lake, Utah/liliSacramento, Calif./liliCache, Utah/liliCook, Ill./liliWayne, Mich./liliMarion, Ind./liliTulare, Calif./liliLane, Ore./liliSan Bernardino, Calif./liliBaltimore City, Md./liliKings, Calif./liliOrange, Calif./liliUnion, N.J./liliStanislaus, Calif./liliWashington, Pa./liliMerced, Calif./liliJefferson, Ky./liliPhiladelphia, Pa./liliSanta Clara, Pa./li/olh225 Cities With The Worst Air Pollution: Long-term Particulates/h2olliBakersfield, Calif./liliPittsburgh/ New Castle, Pa./liliLos Angeles/Long Beach/Rierside, Calif./liliVisalia-Porterville, Calif./liliBirmingham/Hoover/Cullman, Ala./liliFresno/Madera, Calif./liliCincinnati, Ohio/Middletown, Ky./Wilmington, In./liliDetroit/Warren/Flint, Mich./liliCleveland/Akron/Elyria, Ohio/liliCharleston, W.V./liliHuntington/Ashland, W.V./Ky./Ohio/liliLouisville, Ky./Jefferson County/Elizabethtown/Scottsburg, In./liliMacon/Warner Robins/Fort Valley, Ga./liliSt. Louis, Mo. / St. Charles / Farmington, Il./liliWeirton, W.V./ Steubenville, Ohio/liliAtlanta, Ga. / Sandy Springs / Gainesville, Ala./liliIndianapolis/Anderson/Columbus, In./liliRome, Ga./liliCanton/Massillon, Ohio/liliYor/Hanover/Gettysburg, Pa./liliLancaster, Pa./liliNew York, N.Y. / Newark, N.J. / Bridgeport, Conn./liliHagerstown, Md./Martinsburg, W.V./liliHouston/Baytown/Huntsville, Texas/li/olpema href=http://www.stateoftheair.org/ target=_newSee how your city’s air quality ranks/a./em/ppBut most people are not in those clean counties. One in eight lives in a county where all three pollutants reach unhealthy levels, according to the American Lung Association. Among them, at least 4 million children and 10.9 million adults with asthma are exposed to unhealthy air. At least 20.4 million adults over age 65, and 44 million children under the age of 18 are exposed to unhealthy air. And at least 4.4. million people with chronic bronchitis, and 2.1 million people with emphysema are exposed to unhealthy air./ppAir pollution isn’t just a risk factor for lung disease, but heart disease and diabetes, too, research shows. At least 24.5 million people with cardiovascular diseases and 5.2 million people with diabetes are exposed to unhealthy air./ppWhat can be done? The American Lung Association recommends these actions:/pulliClean up coal-fired power plants./liliClean up dirty diesel engines currently on and off the road./liliClean up dirty ocean-going vessels. /liliTighten ozone and particulate exposure standards to reflect current science./liliRequire all counties with high air pollution levels to crack down on sources./liliDrive less by combining trips, walking, biking, carpooling and using public transportation to limit your contribution to air pollution — especially on hot, sunny days./liliDon’t burn wood or trash, to avoid releasing particulates in smoke into your neighborhood’s air./liliEncourage your school district to retrofit old school buses with modern pollution controls, and to stop idling in school parking lots./liliConserve energy, because every bit of electricity saved means less pollution from the power plant supplying your electricity./li/ulstrongMore from The Daily Green/strongpa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/indoor-air-quality-47020101?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Purify Indoor Air/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-remodeling-low-voc-paints-460212?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgChoose Low-VOC Paint for Clean Indoor Air/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/plug-in-hybrid-schoo-bus-47042004?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Clean Up Dirty Diesel School Buses/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Most Fuel-Efficient 2009 Cars and SUVs/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-money-gas-47050902?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Burn Less Gas, and Clean the Air/a/pp /ppReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/pp /pbr /p /pbr /p /p

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