Smog is really bad; for us, for
our family, animals, plants and for the entire city. In
my previous blog, we did go through its cause and its ill-effects to our
health. (Haven’t read those already? Follow this link). This thing needs to be
stopped and immediately. But we all know how pollution control works right? So
yeah, we can’t do it all at once. But we can sure try to minimize and reduce it
to a more manageable level.
Almost every metropolitan city is
suffering from photochemical smog and the number of casualties due to its
drastic increase over the years has also been rising considerably. It is not
about winters alone; we need to worry
about smog even during summers. Since wearing a respiratory mask all day long
is not really a practical long-term solution, we
present to you some tips that can help us minimize the intensity of smog
in our city.
Invest in
Renewable Sources of Energy
Emissions from plants that use
fossil fuel to generate powerare one of the major contributors of air pollution
and in turn smog. Replacing them with sustainable and green fuels would help us
reduce the emissions that aid in the production of ground-level ozone.
Enhancing
Energy Efficiency and Conserving Energy
Conserve energy wherever you can.
Using energy efficient appliances can help you
conserve less power.Having an efficient and well-thought-ofenergy management system will help you reduce smog-causing emissions like that of sulfur and
nitrogen to a great extent. Also, the more power you consume, the more it would
be produced,and the greater would be the
emissions. It is a never-ending vicious circle.
Use a
reliable API-based smog detection system
Why API based, can’t a normal one
do, you may ask. Yeah sure, a normal smog detector can help you as an early
warning system and prevent you from getting exposed. But that’s about it. You
can do nothing else with that data. If you can somehow share it with relevant
agencies and policymakers that can
utilize this to plan and enforce policies and plans to curb the smog levels in
the city, you are doing your part for the society.
Reduce
Vehicular emissions
Vehicular emissions and
construction dust are major contributors
of PM 2.5 and PM 10 particulates and thus needs to be taken rather seriously.
Cutting down on vehicles running on diesel and petrol would help curb a major
chunk of urban pollution. If you can’t do without a vehicle, how about using a
cleaner variant like the CNG? Plan your errands efficiently so that you use
your vehicle judiciously. Walk whenever you can or use a cycle. This way you
can also get your daily dose of exercise. Carpool whenever you can or use public transport. Get your vehicle checked
regularly for exhaust emissions and maintain it properly.
Use
Eco-friendly Household Products and Cleaning Agents
You would already know that a majority of cleaning agents
and household products release high levels of VOCs into the air. This should be
avoided. Use a natural cleaning agent or an eco-friendly alternative instead.
Check if the solvents, sprays, paints, plastics and cleaning agents that you
use are environment-friendly and
non-toxic.
Remember, prevention is always better than cure. While we
are way past the initial prevention phase and smog has already become rampant
across cities, we can atleast think about
minimizing it. We have to start thinking about curbing it and bringing down the
level of smog if we care about our Earth.
We may just be a speck on this earth,but together we are all that matters to create a difference. Check our blog page for
more updates on air pollution. Follow this link to know more about
our air quality monitor and to preorder. Also available on
