Anchorage’s Air

To really help Anchorage’s air quality and encourage folks to choose air friendly options, Green Star will also be promoting the Air Quality Award that businesses can earn by following voluntary standards. As part of the Award program, employers can sign up for a pilot project entitled Buck or Two for AQ (Air Quality). By encouraging employers to provide financial incentives and make use of federal tax-free incentives available for transit and van pool passes, Green Star hopes to show employees there are more fun and less costly ways to get to and from work.

In addition, we will be working with businesses and auto dealerships to get the word out about engine block heaters and plugging-in. For fun incentives, there will be thermometers, window scrapers, sweatshirts, and other prizes available to promote and encourage “air” friendly behavior both at home and on the way to work.

Easy Steps to Take
As we discussed in last months article on air quality in Anchorage, local studies show that over 3/4 quarters of carbon monoxide emissions in Anchorage come from vehicles. In addition, a good portion of pollutants are generated when “cold starting” your vehicle. What this means is that choices made by businesses and individuals alike have a significant impact on our air, especially during our winter months.

Fortunately, the solutions are quite easy, and often save us money. The first thing to always keep in mind when driving during winter months is to begin with a warm engine. Installing engine block heaters, and consistently plugging in your fleet and personal vehicles that are parked outdoors whenever its colder then 20°, reduces carbon monoxide emissions by an average of 60%*. In addition, plugging in improves fuel efficiency, reduces engine wear, and increases driving visibility and comfort. Remember: a cold start-up yields maximum engine wear and minimum fuel efficiency. This fact alone may encourage us to clean out our garages or install plug-ins for our fleet vehicles so our engines can start the day warm and clean.

Reduce Health Impacts
According to statistics from the Municipality of Anchorage, Department of Health and Human Services, plugging in for two to three hours to warm your engine before your morning commute costs pennies in electricity. Contrast that with the price of gas these days, and savings can be achieved. Of greater concern to most of us is the health affects of starting with a warm engine. Not only is carbon monoxide reduced by 60%, but other pollutants such as hydrocarbons and fine particles are minimized also.

For those folks that suffer from asthma and other respiratory ailments, these reductions in emissions are helpful. A study recently completed by Dr. Mary Ellen Gordian titled “Traffic as Risk Factor for Childhood Asthma in Alaska” http://www.ichs.uaa.alaska.edu/ichs/projects/asthma.htm revealed that children between the ages of five and seven living close to high traffic intersections were more likely to suffer from asthma than those living elsewhere. Since winter weather conditions such as temperature inversions and cold starts tend to exacerbate air pollution problems, we can have a positive impact on our children’s health by choosing to plug-in or using alternative transportation.

Choose to Snooze and Save
Encouraging commuters to ride the bus or team up through car or vanpools is one of the most effective methods of reducing traffic congestion, and improving air quality in Anchorage. Surprisingly, studies show that when commuters leave their cars at home it not only benefits the employees, but employers and the community as a whole. Unfortunately, commuters often think it’s an all or nothing deal. Not so! If every one of us chose alternative transportation even once per week, we could immediately eliminate 1/5 of the vehicles on the road. Benefits for riding the bus or car pooling include:

• Reduced absenteeism and tardiness
• Improved air quality
• Reduced personal stress and traffic congestion
• Decreased car ownership costs through less fuel consumption and repair costs (from fender benders to wear and tear), lower insurance rates and longer life

It’s always more fun to share a drive with another person. People Mover makes this option easy by providing a free, confidential, on-line matching service for local commuters. (It can be accessed by going to http://ridematch.muni.org.) The program is good for riders from the Valley, Girdwood or the Anchorage Bowl. People Mover also operates a commuter vanpool for the Anchorage Bowl and the Valley. The vanpool is very popular, with the Valley program providing 21 vans serving 273 people—thus reducing traffic by 252 automobiles daily! In addition, by going to www.matsutransit.com, Valley folks can find out more about the door-to-door bus service provided in the Valley by MASCOT.

To find out more about People Mover’s Share-A-Ride services for car pool matching, van pools and tax incentives, please call 562-7665 or visit www.peoplemover.org. For more information about the Engine Block Heater Installation program, free timers, or Green Star’s “Buck or Two for AQ” project (whether you are an employee or employer), please call 278-7827, visit www.greenstarinc.org, or email info@greenstarinc.org

*Reference: “Air Quality in Anchorage, A Summary of Air Monitoring Data and Trends,” Dept. of H&HS, Environmental Services Division, Environmental Quality Program, Anchorage, Alaska, May 2005.