The Campaign for Clean Air for Warwickshire

"Warwickshire - A Clean Air County"

Keeping the Air Clean

You CAN make a difference!

If you live, work, shop or spend your leisure time in a polluted area - there are some simple things you can do to drive air pollution levels down for yourself and your family. Here are just a few.

Below are some things you can do to help keep the air clean in your town.

Send your own suggestions to enquiries@cleanairwarwickshire.org.uk and we will add them here.

Make Cleaner Travel Choices

  • Give your car a day off - Walk, cycle or take public transport to work or school, or work from home if you can.
  • Discover quieter side streets on your bike or on foot to avoid polluted main roads.
  • Go electric - There are lots of ways you can travel electric. Hire an electric car, taxi or test drive an electric vehicle today.
  • Walking or cycling on roads with less traffic can reduce your exposure to air pollutants by 50% or even more.

Make Cleaner Air Decisions in the Home

  • Ventilate your home - Open windows and use extractor fans when cooking or using cleaning products, but close windows near busy roads during rush hours.
  • Use fragrance-free milder cleaning products.
  • Only burn dry, well-seasoned wood or smokeless fuel on your stove, open fire or barbeque.
  • Choose paints and varnishes that are labelled low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Don't Idle Your Car Engine

  • The AA, and RAC, advice on good driving includes minimising engine idling.
  • We think reducing idling is such an easy way to keep the air clean, we want this to be a major campaign for all road users.
  • If you drive, turn off your engine when your vehicle is stationary, and it is safe to do so.
  • Modern batteries need less engine running time to work and don't need the engine on constantly to keep them charged.
  • Idling dirties your engine with incomplete combustion increasing wear and tear. Maintaining your vehicle is important for preventing breakdowns and reducing air pollution.
  • Modern cars have much better ignitions and can be turned on and off without unnecessary wear on the engine.
  • Catalytic converters retain their heat for about 25 minutes after an engine is switched off. You don't need to keep the engine switched on for them to work properly.
  • It can take up to an hour for an engine to cool down. Turning off your engine but keeping the ignition on and the fan blowing will provide warm air for some time.
  • Over 50% of particulate matter (PM) in London comes from taxis and cars.
  • Clean driving is good driving, always drive safely and legally.

Active Transport

Active transport is transport based on physical activity, usually walking or cycling. Being active in your daily commute will help to make you fit and healthy, whilst keeping the streets less congested and the air cleaner.

Walk to School

If you can walk to school or college. If it is too far to walk, then consider cycling. For longer school journeys there is usually public transport, use it if you can.

Cycle to Work

If your work is very close you may be fortunate enough to be able to walk, if not then consider cycling. For longer commutes, public transport is usually the cleanest and least expensive option, use it if you can.

If you really have to use a car for work, then take comfort from the others who are avoiding using their cars, making your commute less congested, shorter and less stressful.

Drive Economically

At Clean Air for Leamington we love motorists, let's face it most of us are motorists on occasions. The motorists we love the most are those who use their cars as little as possible and follow these AA Economic Driving Tips

Also keep in mind that the more people who avoid using their cars when they can, the less congested the roads will be and the less polluting those few essential journeys will become.

Use Public Transport

Public transport, where it is available, is a clean and cost-effective way to get to work. The more we use public transport the more it will be economic to provide it.

Burn Less

After motorised transport, the next biggest contributor to air pollution is burning wood or fossil fuels. Almost whatever you are burning it is likely to be adding to air pollution, burning garden waste is one of the biggest sources of harmful particulates. The more you avoid burning wood, coal or other fossil fuels the cleaner the air will be.

Solar Panels

Electricity is a clean source of energy, especially if it is not produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Solar panels provide households with cheap and clean electricity, plus they can often provide electricity to a neighbourhood by giving back to the grid.

Doing what you can really makes a difference, perhaps you would like to spread that message still wider by Getting More Involved?