Everyone produces air pollution; some people produce more than other. Think about everything that you have done today from the time you woke up:
- Did an electric alarm clock ring?
- Did you take a shower?
- Did you use a blow dryer?
- Did you use the microwave to make breakfast?
- Did you charge your cellphone or tablet?
Every time you use something that requires electricity to operate, you produce a little bit of air pollution because a power plant had to burn a fossil fuel to make that electricity.
How did you get to school?
- Did you take a bus? If so, you were reducing air pollution by taking one vehicle to school with your friends and neighbors instead of many.
- Did your parent drive you to school? This produced the most air pollution because one vehicle made the trip just for you.
- If you carpooled, and picked up friends to drive to school with you, you helped reduce air pollution.
- If you walked or rode a bike or skateboard, you did a great job and produced no air pollution.
How else did you create pollution?
Try to keep a logbook for a day to see how many times you produced air pollution, which will include any time that you used electricity or gas. Also count how many times you managed to find a different way that cut down on air pollution. Give yourself one point every time you do something to cut down on air pollution. Take one point away every time you did not manage to find an alternative
My Logbook
- Electric alarm clock: -1
- Cereal instead of toast: +1
- Walked: +1
- Traveled with 2 more friends to practice: +1
- Total: 2