Captain Amazon

One of the best ways to reduce air pollution is to choose public transport, walk or bicycle. Carpooling is also an alternative, but it may cause slightly more air pollution than other alternatives depending on what fuel the car uses. 

Continuing on the theme of transportation, using an electric car that runs on clean renewable energy will significantly reduce the amount of pollution that drivers contribute to.

There may be some circumstances that keep car owners from using an electric vehicle. In this case, do not use a roof rack or the AC unless it is absolutely necessary and make sure you have the correct tire pressure. Also, do not wait for the car to heat up before driving it. All of these actions will help you reduce your vehicle's emissions.

Avoid flying as much as possible. There may be some circumstances under which you have no choice except to take an airplane, but choose sustainable, low-emission transportation otherwise. For instance, take the train or a coach.

Purchase local products as often as possible. This will lower the need for long transportations. You can also plant your own food if you have a garden, balcony or greenhouse, which will completely eliminate the need for any transportations.

Moving on to electricity, choose a clean renewable energy source for your home. The options include wind, solar and hydrothermal. These are all emission-free alternatives. 

Make sure that you save electricity where you can. Do not use devices that are unnecessary or leave your appliances on standby. Use energy-saving light bulbs such as LED and household equipment such as dishwashers or stoves labelled "A".

If you have a gaming device in your household, ensure that you always pull out the plug after use. A console on standby uses as much energy in a year as a light bulb would if it was permanently turned on during the same amount of time.

If you make sure to pull out the plug for the TV you can save the same amount of energy as it would take to keep a light bulb on for a day and a half. So make sure to not leave this device on standby either. 

​

Apart from gaming consoles and TVs, pull out the plug of microwaves, laptops and phone chargers as well.

VOCs can be found in paints, glues, air fresheners, disinfectants, cleaning products, etc, so make sure to purchase environmentally-friendly versions of these products.

Do not use gas-powered lawn or gardening equipment.

Do not burn leaves or yard waste. Compost or mulch it.

Plastics are made from fossil fuels, which means that air pollution occurs during its production. Avoid all plastic products to reduce air pollution from the plastic industry.

Avoid clothing made from fossil fuels. Polyester, Nylon, Acrylic, Acetate, and Spandex are all made of petroleum. Instead, choose clothes made from sustainable and certified material.

Sort all your waste and make sure to recycle all recyclable products. Also, ensure that none of your waste goes to landfills, where they will contribute massively to air pollution.

Choose a vegan or vegetarian diet. This will help reduce methane pollution. If for any reason, you refuse to change your dietary preferences, consider choosing a flexitarian diet. Any effort is better than none!

When purchasing pulp, paper or timber products, ensure that they are certified by FSC or another reliable certification scheme. This means that no deforestation or rainforest destruction has occurred during the production of the product. Deforestation is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, so avoiding products associated with the practice will lower your carbon footprint.

Avoid palm oil and uncertified soya, beef and leather. All of these products are major drivers of deforestation. 

​

Unlike soy, beef and leather, certified palm oil is not necessarily a sign of abstinence from deforestation in the production process. RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) is the largest certification body for palm oil, but the organization is highly corrupt and often gives certifications to companies that are well-known for their destruction of rainforests or human rights violations.

Make your home as environmentally-friendly as possible, following the principles of green architecture and infrastructure. For instance, you can install solar panels on your roof or have green walls and a green roof. 

Smoking contributes to air pollution, so abstain from this. If you do not want to, then at least consider avoiding indoor pollution by smoking outside, but with a fair amount of distance from non-smoking individuals nearby. 

Ventilate your home regularly to remove indoor pollutants.

Do not use wood-fired stoves or wood-burning heaters if possible.

Install a kitchen fan and use bathroom fans. Using bathroom fans will help prevent mould from forming.

Consider the impact of your purchases before you make them, especially online. Items bought online require transportation to your home and sometimes, there is a risk that you may not want to keep the product once you receive it. So, be absolutely certain that you want the item before you purchase it. Do not let yourself be persuaded by special offers or options to try a product out for a few days or weeks before deciding on whether or not you want it. The products that you return will most likely go straight to landfill, where it will contribute to air and waste pollution. The short life-span of the item will also ensure that all the emissions it contributed to were unjustified. 

Have plants in your home. These absorb some of your indoor air pollution and makes the air in your home cleaner.

There are many more ways in which you can help reduce air pollution, but it mostly comes down to one thing - consideration. Always consider the effects of your actions and the air pollution that those actions will contribute to. Also, make sure to stay informed on the latest developments, research, and news on air pollution and adapt your decisions and practices based on the knowledge you absorb. 

​

Finally, basically every action you can think of that lowers your carbon footprint will help you in your quest to reduce air pollution.