December 2008 - Holidays and Clean Air Go Together

This holiday season, plan your purchases carefully. Take into consideration the components and materials that were used to manufacture the toy or tool. Most toy manufacturers this year have eliminated lead from their manufacturing. Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site www.cpsc.gov to evaluate your purchase. Consider if the purchase was made from recycled materials or if it is recyclable when it is no longer useful to the recipient. Some products such as electronics have the potential to generate hazardous wastes that pose expensive and often times unavailable disposal options. Energy Star identified items are always a good choice if you are shopping for appliances, tools or electronics. Evaluate the purchases’ energy efficiency before buying so you are not gifting an item that is expensive to operate. Plan your trips accordingly to use the least fuel, in the most efficient way. Car pool or shop pool with family and friends to make the most of the holidays. Shopping together is half the fun of the season. Why not try mass transit for shopping or visiting this month? There are so many holiday events that are accessible via ABQRide. Check out www.cabq.gov to find out what’s happening, where, and when, the n get on board. This month’s Air Notes poster focuses on feeding ourselves and family. Many of us have microwave ovens and slow cookers that provide cost effective food preparation that minimizes the amount of energy needed. Another good tool that improves our health is portion control. Making meals for one person or a family presents a good opportunity to properly manage the amounts we consume to avoid waste. Wasted food translates to wasted money and energy. The culmination of these wastes can impact the environment in many ways from trash disposal to our waistline.

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