FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2014
FLORIDA DEP AND DOT RECOGNIZE
MAY AS CLEAN AIR MONTH, OFFER AIR
POLLUTION SOLUTIONS
~State encourages citizens to help protect air quality~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the
Florida Department of Transportation are partnering this month to promote
practices to improve air quality in Florida. Florida’s residents, businesses
and visitors are encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly practices to help
protect Florida’s air quality throughout May—and all year long.
“Florida should pat itself on the back for its aggressive
approach to improving air quality,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr.
“By monitoring air quality, promoting pollution prevention and coordinating
with local, state and federal clean air programs, Floridians have made great
strides in just a few short years.”
There are many steps Floridians can take to prevent air
pollution and protect human health, as well as the environment. These steps
include:
- Drive less—use public transportation, carpool or
ride a bike;
- Drive smart—check FDOT’s 511 Traveler
Information Service before hitting the road;
- Use energy-efficient products;
-
Use reel or electric lawn mowers;
- Compost rather than burning waste materials;
-
Use green cleaners;
-
Maintain heating and air conditioning
units;
- Recycle;
- Plant native trees and shrubs; and
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Spread the word.
A great way to reduce time spent idling in traffic and
reduce vehicle emissions is to plan ahead with 511. The toll-free service provides
drivers with up-to-the-minute roadway information on all of Florida’s interstates,
toll roads and other major metropolitan roadways. The resource is available by calling
511, visiting FL511.com, downloading the Android or iPhone app, or following
one of FL511’s 12 Twitter accounts.
In the last decade, Florida has achieved large reductions in
emissions of soot, sulfur dioxide and smog-contributing nitrogen oxide through
a combination of enforcement, conversion to cleaner fuel and implementation of
federal requirements.
The DEP’s Division
of Air Resource Management, located in Tallahassee, is charged with regulation
of Florida’s air resource, including air monitoring, permitting and compliance
of emission sources, and implementing the Siting Acts. Through a variety of
services, the division regulates Florida’s air resource fairly, consistently
and efficiently to enable economic opportunities for the state, while fully implementing
state and federal Clean Air Act requirements.
For more information about the
division, click here.
For more information about the Florida Department of
Transportation’s 511 System, visit www.fl511.com.
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