Greenville County: Drive Smarter-WIN!

Plus Change a Light Bulb, Change the World

Greenville County is challenging its residents and employees to "drive smarter." Starting July 1st, County residents can save money on gas, decrease air pollution, and improve our national energy security by simply logging on to www.drivesmarterchallenge.org and participating in the Drive $marter Challenge.

The Drive $marter Challenge is a fuel-efficiency campaign launched by the National Association of Counties (NACo) to help consumers lower their gasoline costs by using less. The campaign offers effective gas saving tips aimed at keeping more money in drivers' pockets and reducing the number of costly trips to the pump. The Drive $marter Challenge campaign runs from July 1st to November 30th.

Greenville County has accepted NACo's challenge, and today begins the quest to "win" by getting the highest number of residents participating in our category. Individuals logging on to www.drivesmarterchallenge.org receive car care discount coupons, and help push Greenville County towards receiving a prize of 1,000 bottles of Fuel Additive/Cleaner. If Greenville County wins those bottles they will be distributed to residents during next spring's Greenville County Free Car Care Clinic at Greenville Tech. That event is part of the County's national award winning campaign to "Spare the Air in Greenville County."

County Administrator Joe Kernell said the county's participation in the Drive $marter Challenge will help with efforts to improve air quality in our region in addition to increasing the public's awareness of the things we all can do to clean our air.

The County is also challenging residents to help win another "green" battle with "rival" counties. Citizens can be introduced to compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) and other energy saving tips by going to www.greencounties.org/changetheworld and taking the Energy Star pledge. Through this competition, counties will collect pledges from county employees and residents to not only change a light in their home to an energy-efficient one, but to also choose among other actions they can take to help save energy. Greenville County would share the prize of 1,000 CFLs with citizens at future "Spare the Air" events. The Energy Star competition runs from July 1st to November 30th.

Greenville County Earns Prestigious National EPA Award

Greenville County's innovative "Spare the Air in Greenville County" campaign has won the EPA's Clean Air Excellence Award in the Education/Outreach category. The campaign, titled "Spare the Air in Greenville County: Improving Air Quality in Greenville County," has been lauded by the EPA for its beneficial impact on the environment. "Spare the Air" is also seen as a creative program that the EPA believes should be duplicated in other areas of the country.

"We have a wonderful quality of life in Greenville County," says Greenville County Administrator Joe Kernell. "Our Countyโ€™s pioneering and proactive efforts to improve air quality help assure that we remain a thriving and healthy place to work and live."

Greenville County began aggressively promoting the need for cleaner air in 2006 by using radio, TV, newspapers, and billboards to disperse information to the general public. The campaign also included presentations to private organizations, municipality planning staffs, and city councils. After the general information campaign, Greenville County took "Spare the Air" directly into the community.

"We developed partnerships with public and private groups who shared in our desire to clean the air in Greenville County," says Sandra Yudice, Assistant to the County Administrator. From these efforts came popular programs like the "Gas Can Exchange," "Free Car Care Clinic and Lawn Mower Exchange," and more.

"I am especially proud of our work at schools!" says Yudice. The award winning campaign includes "student patrols" that encourage parents and bus drivers not to idle their vehicles on campus. "The Breathe Better at School" program implemented by Fountain Inn Elementary also includes ways to create environmentally sound native gardens. "Fountain Inn Elementary has become a model school in the Greenville County School District allowing for others to see the urgency of pursuing cleaner air," says Yudice.

Greenville County's efforts helped the Greenville-Anderson-Spartanburg area gain "attainment" status with current ground level ozone standards.

Good O3 occurs in the atmosphere's upper level (stratosphere) and protects us from sun's harmful UV rays.

Bad O3 or ground level O3 occurs in the atmosphere's lower level (troposphere) during hot-dry summer days.

It's the main ingredient of smog. It's bad for our respiratory system, especially for children, elderly, people with respiratory illnesses, and people who are active outdoors. Ground level O3 is seasonal, April to October.

During hot, dry summer days, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) react with Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) to form ozone. VOCs come from sources such as cars, pine trees and industrial and commercial processes. Sources such as vehicles and industrial, commercial, and residential fuel combustion produce NOx.

Particle Matter (PM2.5)

Known also as particle pollution or particulate matter, PM is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets made up of acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. PM comes in many sizes and shapes and it's a year-round concern.

Sources of primary particles include construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks, or fires. Sources of secondary particles include complicated reactions of chemicals in the atmosphere such as sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides. Emissions from power plants, industries and automobiles make up most of the fine particle pollution.

Coarse PM may be found near roads and dusty industries and range in size from 2.5 to 10 micrometers (um) in diameter (the average human hair is about 70 um in diameter). Fine PM2.5 particles may be found in smoke and haze, are smaller than 2.5 um, and can be directly emitted from forest fires, gases emitted from power plants, industries, and automobiles.

How ground level ozone and PM2.5 Affect Your Health?

High levels of ground level ozone and PM2.5 affect children, elderly people, people with respiratory illnesses, and people who are active outdoors. The health effects of high levels of ground level ozone and PM2.5 include:

- Irritation to the respiratory system;

- Coughing, throat irritation, and congestion;

- Reduction of lung function making it difficult to breathe and taking more rapid and shallow breaths than normal;

- Inflammation of and damage to cells that line lungs;

- Aggravation of chronic lung diseases (asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema). Ozone makes people more sensitive to allergens, which are the most common triggers of asthma attacks;

- Long term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to the development of chronic bronchitis and premature death;

- Short term exposure to PM2.5 may increase vulnerability to respiratory infections and has been linked to heart attacks and arrhythmias;

- Cause permanent lung damage.

Things you can do to Spare the Air in Greenville County:

- Consolidate trips by combining multiple errands and avoid unnecessary driving.

- Carpool or rideshare to work, school, or meetings.

- Use alternative modes of transportation such as public transportation, bicycles, walk.

- Accelerate and brake gradually.

- Refuel when it's cool and don't top off the gas tank.

- Use alternate fuels, if available and if your car is properly equipped.

- Pick at least one day a week to carpool and leave your car at home, especially during ground level ozone alert days.

- Properly maintain fleet or personal vehicles to reduce emissions and enhance performance.

- Telecommute to work, if possible.

- Use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs to conserve energy.

- Make sure the lids on chemical products, especially janitorial products, paints, solvents, etc., are tightly closed to eliminate evaporation.

- Consider using manual (reel) or electric-powered lawn and garden maintenance equipment.

- If using gas-powered lawnmowers, mow lawns when it's cool, preferably early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

- Consider creating flower or plant beds to reduce lawn mowing areas.

- Thinking about buying a car? Consider purchasing hybrid, alternate fuel, fuel efficient, or lean burn vehicles. The State provides tax incentives for individuals who purchase these vehicles. The State's income tax credit equals to 20% of certain new hybrid, fuel cell, alternative fuel, or lean burn technology motor vehicle and tax credits are allowed against a taxpayer's federal income tax liability.

- Learn what you can burn before burning materials. In South Carolina, it's against the law to burn household garbage, trash, and cleaners, paper, plastics, paints, and farm chemicals, motor and waste heating oils, building and roofing materials (shingles and tar), tires and other rubber materials, electrical wire, insulation, and duct work. If in doubt on what you may burn, call SCDHEC at (864) 241-1090 or your local fire department.

- Observe speed limit, avoid driving at high speed, use cruise control on highways.

- Consider implementing alternate work schedules: doing this would reduce engine idling during egress both in employees' parking areas and on congested streets during rush hours.

- Reduce driving by providing in-house on-line training sessions, Web meetings/conferences, conference telephone calls, especially if involves driving long distance within the State.

- Drive to a central location and park, then, walk between your destinations.

- Avoid:

* Long lines for drive-up windows, park your car and walk into the business.

* Driving from store to store looking for just one item, call ahead to find out if the item is in stock.

* Unnecessary trips during rush hours.

* Idling your car's engine for more than 30 seconds, late model vehicles need little warm-up during cold weather.

* Driving with unnecessary items in the trunk to reduce car load. This improves fuel efficiency and performance.

- Spread the word! Tell your friends, family and co-workers what you are doing and why. Education and small changes in personal habits will do wonders to maintain the air cleaner.

How to prevent exposure:

- Avoid strenuous outdoor activities - substitute for an activity requiring less exertion (walking instead of jogging)

- Avoid long exposure to outdoor activities - reduce activity time or plan activities during days of lower air pollution levels

- Don't exercise near busy roads - air pollution levels are higher in these areas

Be alert:

- USEPA:

* http://airnow.gov provides local and national air quality forecast.

* https://enviroflash.epa.gov/airnow/subscriber provides a free subscription service to daily automatic air quality forecast.

- SCDHEC:

* http://www.scdhec.gov/eqc/baq provides information on air quality.

* Call 1-866-238-4973 for air quality forecast.

- Greenville County:

* www.greenvillecounty.org under "County Highlights: Air Quality."

* Cable TV Channel 2 subscribers.