Summer is Here and That Means It's Time to Spare the Air

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Summer is nearly here again and that means it's time for the annual Spare the Air campaign, which runs this year from June 4 through October 12. The program, which was founded in 1991, is run by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The goal of the program is to have area residents and businesses help reduce ground-level ozone formation on days when heat, wind patterns, and fumes from exhaust and aerosol sprays can combine to create the unhealthy gas. Participants are notified the day before these conditions are expected to occur so that they may make plans to limit activities and the use of certain products that contribute to ozone formation.

It's easier than ever to participate. Simply enroll in the e-mail alert program and Spare the Air information will be sent electronically at 1:00 pm the day before the Spare The Air Day. Notifications may also be received by fax.

This notice gives employees and residents the opportunity to help fight air pollution by preparing to take alternate transportation, carpooling or telecommuting, along with cutting back on the use of aerosol sprays. Participants can also help remedy the air pollution problem on Spare the Air days by starting barbecues without lighter fluid and refueling cars after sundown.

Companies are also encouraged to participate by signing up to receive e-mail or fax notifications that can then be distributed to employees.

More than 10,000 individuals and 1,760 employers with thousands of employees are currently signed up with the Spare The Air e-mail service, according to Judi Goldblatt, regional Spare the Air coordinator, who works with employers enrolled in the program.

Spare the Air e-mail subscribers can also qualify for prizes while they help improve air quality.

"Those who answer the e-mail surveys they will receive two or three times during the Spare The Air season will be eligible for prize drawings in October," says Goldblatt.

The grand prize is a trip for two to Hawaii donated by Hawaiian Airlines. Goldblatt said that last year more than 100 other prizes were given away to survey participants and she expects similar items this year. Other highlights from 2000 were a bicycle, inline skates, tickets to local amusement parks, transit tickets, and certificates for weekends for two at local hotels.

For more information or to sign up for the Spare The Air alerts, access www.sparetheair.org.

Use of transportation alternatives provides one of the best ways to help Spare the Air. These resources can help you choose the alternative that's right for you:

RIDES for Bay Area Commuters offers information about carpooling and vanpool formation, (800) 755-POOL or online at www.RIDES.org.
TravInfo offers real-time information and other commute tools, 817-1717.
Transitinfo.org has complete Bay Area transit information. The Hacienda Owners Association, which can also provide information on Spare The Air, can be reached at (925) 734-6500 or www.hacienda.org.

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