New Jersey Air Quality Awareness week is now over but that does not mean that you can stop thinking about air pollution! Everyone breathes air all day, every day. It is not something that can be ignored.
There are many things that you can do to help decrease air pollution; a major one is stop driving alone! Next time you are driving, take a couple seconds to look at the cars around you. Do most of them have one person in the car? Two?
Most vehicles in NJ only have one person in them. If half of these people driving alone were to carpool with ONE other person the effects would be amazing. There would be half as many people on the road, much less traffic to get stuck in, and incredibly half of the air pollution coming from vehicle exhaust. In addition, if you are one of the carpoolers your cost of gasoline and car maintenance would be cut in half!
If you are interested in carpooling but don’t know anyone going your way sign up for GMTMA’s rideshare program and we will search our database to find you someone to carpool with. You can start carpooling every day or just one day a week. Try it out to see if it works for you; it’s not as scary and inconvenient as it may seem. You may end up liking the person you carpool with and enjoy talking and relaxing on your commute.
Of course carpooling is not the only option; you could try walking or biking if the distance is short enough. Or taking the bus or train if it is going your way. Any time you leave your car at home you are helping everyone breathe easier.