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Live Green
Improve water quality
Please join us in solving the problem of raw sewage in our streams. Everyone has a role: individual citizens, government, non-profit organizations, businesses, industry, and community groups. You can help by:
- Disconnecting your downspouts and sump pumps if they are connected to the sewer system. The City's Correct Connect program can show you how to disconnect. Learn more at www.indycleanstreams.org.
- Reducing water use, especially during rainy weather
- Coming to a public meeting to learn more about what is being done. Sign up at www.indycleanstreams.org to be notified of upcoming meetings through e-mail
- Inviting Clean Stream Team representatives to make a presentation to your civic association or neighborhood group
- Learning how you can reduce water use in your homes and businesses, and help keep pollution out of the storm drains
Improve air quality
Did you know that individuals are responsible for nearly 50 percent of all air pollution in Marion County? With more than 1.7 million people calling central Indiana home, each of us can make a visible difference in the region's air quality by adopting a few clean air strategies.
1. Increase your awareness.
Sign up for Knozone Action Day e-mail alerts at www.knozone.com. While there, check out the most recent air quality reading. You can also call the Air Quality phone line at (317) 327-4AIR (4247) for up-to-date air quality readings and tips to help clean the air.
2. Start a carpool or vanpool.
Carpooling or vanpooling is a great alternative to commuting to work, school or play alone each day. Not only can you help reduce air pollution, you can also save money. Click here for a Commuter Cost Calculator.
In the nine county central Indiana region, Central Indiana Commuter Services (CICS) provides mobility solutions and commute options free of charge. Please call (317) 327-RIDE or visit www.327RIDE.net for more information.
3. Use public transportation.
Take the bus to work, school or to run a few small errands. In Marion County, IndyGo is the public transportation service provider. Plan a trip using IndyGo by calling (317) 635-3344. IndyGo customer service representatives are available six days a week to answer questions and help you plan your next trip. You can also visit www.IndyGo.net for more information.
4. Refuel vehicles and equipment in the evening.
Sunlight plays an important role in smog formation. By waiting until the evening or the cooler part of a summer day, vapors that escape from gas pumps and cans as well as the exhaust from engines have less time to react to the sunlight. A good rule of thumb is to wait until after 6 p.m. to fill up any gas tank.
5. Mow your lawn and perform yard work in the evening.
Exhaust from small engines, like lawnmowers, contribute to ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution. In fact, industry experts say that a typical 3.5 horsepower gas mower engine can emit the same amount of volatile organic compounds – key precursors to smog – in an hour as a new car driven 340 miles.
Lawn and garden equipment users inadvertently add to the problem by spilling 17 million gallons of fuel each year while refilling their outdoor power equipment. That's more petroleum spilled than the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska.
Wait until after 6 p.m. to mow your lawn or to use gas-powered outdoor equipment whenever possible. If you need to purchase a new lawnmower, consider buying an electric-powered or reel mower. Both are environmentally friendly and cut down on noise pollution.
6. Service your car regularly and keep tires properly inflated.
Tune-ups, oil changes and proper tire inflation reduce emissions and save money.
7. Use a bicycle or walk short distances.
Riding a bike or walking short distances is one of the best ways to help clean the air and improve your physical health. Remember; try to perform outdoor activities in the morning or evening when air pollution levels are lower.
Marion County has a celebrated system of greenways throughout the community, which includes inter-connected bicycle paths. Visit the IndyParks Greenways home page at http://www.indygreenways.com for more information.
8. Use water-based paints, stains and solvents.
Latex paint is water-based and contains fewer chemicals than oil-based paints. Latex paint is every bit as effective as oil paint indoors and out and uses less harmful chemicals. Also, the paint thinners and cleaners for latex paint are much less toxic.
There are also paints available with a low volatile organic compound (VOC) level. Many paints are made with a high percentage of VOCs so that they will dry faster. VOCs are a primary contributor to smog. Low-level VOC paints release fewer fumes in newly painted rooms as well as outside. Generally speaking, a paint that has a flat finish will have less VOCs than a glossy paint.
9. Combine errands by planning ahead.
Less time in the car means that there are fewer harmful emissions being released into our air.
10. Don't idle unnecessarily. Turn off your car's engine when possible.
Instead of using a drive-thru lane, park and go inside instead. By not idling in a drive-thru, you are eliminating emissions that help the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particles. Plus, less gas is used, which means you will save money over the long-term.
11. Explore the possibilities of alternative-powered vehicles.
If you are in the market to purchase a new vehicle, consider a hybrid or flexible-fueled vehicle (like ethanol-based gasoline engines) to help reduce auto emissions and decrease gasoline costs. Twenty-four of the largest automobile manufacturers make low-emission vehicles.
12. Avoid burning yard debris.
In Marion County, outdoor burning is limited to comfort, ceremonial and training fires and the burning of yard debris in a container with a mesh, fireproof lid. However, rather than burning materials that release fine particles into the air, consider mulching your yard debris and using it around trees and plants. The Indianapolis Department of Public Works also sponsors a free leaf collection program in the fall. For more information, please visit the DPW Web site.
13. Reduce your use of wood-burning fireplaces and stoves.
Limit the amount of wood you burn in your fireplace or wood stoves when possible. When you do burn wood, select the dry, seasoned variety or consider purchasing wax and sawdust logs. If possible, use natural gas instead of wood.
14. Replace your appliances and light bulbs with energy-saving versions.
Though it sometimes seems that our individual electriCity usage cannot have much effect on the air quality, we must remember that together, all our electriCity usage adds up. Replacing 25 percent of your home lighting with fluorescent bulbs can save you 50 percent on the lighting portion of your energy bill while reducing air pollution.
Energy Conservation
10 simple things you can do to conserve energy
- Turn off non-essential lights.
- Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Turn off all office equipment (computers, copiers, etc.) when you go to a meeting, take a break, or go to lunch ¬ and especially when you leave work at the end of the day.
- Turn off your home computer at night, or anytime you're going to be away from it for more than an hour.
- Use your washer/dryer and dishwasher only in the early morning or evening, and only when you have a full load.
- Whenever possible, air-dry your clothes.
- Keep your office equipment and home appliances in good repair. Change your furnace filters regularly and make sure your refrigerator door closes tightly.
- Adjust air-conditioning to 78 degrees or higher, heater thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.
- When you need to replace appliances, purchase energy- efficient models. Look for the EnergyStar label.
- Make green decisions during home improvements. For example, if you need a new roof, consider purchasing a light-colored roof made of vinyl for a cost effective, energy-saving alternative to traditional dark-colored roofs.
Transportation
1. Maintain your vehicle
Be sure the air filter and the fuel filter are clean. A new oxygen sensor alone can improve gas mileage by as much as 15 percent, according to AutoZone. And don't forget little things like the air in your tires. Having tires inflated to the automaker's maximum recommended pressure can improve gas mileage by as much as 6 percent, while periodic wheel alignments can help improve fuel economy up to 10 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Lighten your load
Clean out that trunk, cargo area or pickup bed. Take out unneeded items that only add weight to your vehicle. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. According to AutoZone, every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight shaves one mile per gallon off your fuel mileage.
3. Change your driving style
Accelerate gradually, drive smoothly and with care and you could see as much as a 20 percent gain in fuel economy compared with what you'd get with an aggressive driving style, the EPA says.
4. Don't speed.
A car or truck moving at 55 miles an hour can get about 15 percent better fuel economy than the same car going 65 mph.
5. Don't let your vehicle idle
Instead of hitting the drive-thru or keeping the car running while you wait for your kids to get out of school, turn off the car. Idling uses more fuel than turning the engine off and then restarting the engine.
6. Plan ahead
Combine your errands into one trip, rather than taking multiple trips from home. Organize your stops so they're near each other and so you don't retrace your path.
7. Get out of the drivers seat
Look at alternative transportation options—even if it's just for one or two days a week. Walk, bicycle, carpool or take public transportation and leave your vehicle at home.
8. Shop smart
When you shop for a new vehicle, compare fuel economy. Bear in mind how bigger vehicles, bigger engines, four-wheel drive and lots of optional equipment can add to a vehicle's weight and, as a result, reduce its fuel efficiency. Even larger tires can have an effect.
Partner with Nature
Go ahead … Go Green! Working with Nature to make your yard more environmentally friendly is an easy, relaxing, and beautiful way to "Green Up" Indianapolis.
Did you know that how you design and care for your own yard can conserve energy and lower your electric bills? It is an important way to contribute to improving our community's air and water quality, and can make our "Urban Ecosystem" richer, healthier, and more diverse. It can even help to remove global warming pollutants from the air, making YOU a part of the global solution to climate change…
1. Plant a tree
Trees improve the environment of our homes, our community, and even our earth! According to The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, strategically placed trees can reduce the energy used to heat and cool a typical household by up to 25%. Trees also improve the local environment by reducing air and water pollution, absorbing storm-water runoff, and cooling the air. They even remove global warming pollutants from the atmosphere – contributing to a healthier global environment. Following IPL and Indy Parks Forestry guidelines - along with consulting local nursery staff - can help you to choose the "right tree" for the "right place" in your yard.
2. Give your Lawnmower a Break
Did you know that some mowers can create more pollution than many cars or trucks? Converting some areas of your yard from turf grass to native landscaping beds or other environmentally-friendly features will reduce the area you need to mow each week – and cut mowing-related emissions. You can also decrease emissions by mowing less frequently, raking instead of using a leaf blower, and using an electric or mechanical push mower instead.
3. Capture Rainwater
You can easily help to improve our community's water quality by decreasing the amount of rainwater runoff from your yard. Rain barrels are a great way to capture runoff from your roof, and are an excellent free source of soft, sediment-free water to wash cars and windows, and well as water plants, lawns, and gardens. Native Plant "Rain Gardens" can also be created in wet areas of your yard to promote the infiltration of rainwater into the soil – keeping runoff out of our streams and providing a beautiful landscape feature.
4. Go Native
Native plant landscaping is recommended by the EPA as an essential part of Green Landscaping. Because our native plant species are well adapted to Indiana's environment, they require fewer resources to maintain than non-native species such as turf grass. It allows us to reduce air pollution (no mowing required!), conserve water (little watering needed!), reduce water pollution (no need to add large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides that can end up in our waterways!), and promote a healthy Urban Ecosystem by increasing biodiversity.
5. Keep Invasives Out
Though they may look pretty, invasive exotic vegetation such as amur "bush" honeysuckle and Norway Maple can spread from yards into our forests. Once there, they threaten to choke out native wildflowers and other desirable species, reducing biodiversity and degrading our remaining woodlands. More information on invasive species in Indiana can be found at: http://www.nature.org
6. Invite visitors
Landscaping with native plants attracts birds, butterflies, and other Indiana wildlife. You can also invite these visitors – and contribute to a more diverse and healthy Urban Ecosystem - by providing nesting boxes and using fewer pesticides and other chemicals in your yard.
Learn more and spread the word… Get in the know! Indy Parks provides a wide-array of Volunteer and Environmental Education opportunities for children and adults to learn more about their environment, and learn how to incorporate "environmentally friendly" practices – such as invasive species control and Native Plant Gardening – at home.
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