Air Resources
Air quality management involves taking steps to protect the public health from air pollution. The City of Temecula's mission is to protect air quality from contamination sources. The City's Sustainability Program will work with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to protect the air from pollution sources and to establish a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory.
Greenhouse gas emissions are measures by metric tons per year (CO2equivalent) generated by different emitting sources such as cars, building construction and day-to- day business operations. The completion of a Greenhouse Gases Emissions Inventory will establish the City's greenhouse gas emissions baseline. This inventory will determine the amount of greenhouse gas that is emitted by City operations. The City will then develop an action plan that identifies ways of reducing the number of metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted and reduce our carbon footprint.
Greenhouse Gas Greenhouse gases (GHG) are the gases present in the earth's atmosphere which reduce the loss of heat into space. The earth's most abundant greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide (NOx), ozone and CFC's (chlorofluorocarbon). Many GHG are naturally occurring in the earth's atmosphere, while others are man-made. Many scientists have theorized that the amount of GHG in the atmosphere have been rising over the last century due to human activity, which have resulted in warmer climates on earth. What is a "carbon footprint?" The carbon footprint is the measure of the impact that human activities have had on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced. For example, heating and cooling our homes, driving our cars, and day-to-day business as usual all impact our the amount of greenhouse gases produced and our carbon footprint.
Click here to calculate your Carbon Footprint.
Pollutant Sources There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.
The relative importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that improperly adjusted.
Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings, and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously. Other sources, related to activities carried out in the home, release pollutants intermittently. These include smoking, the use of un-vented or malfunctioning stoves, furnaces, or space heaters, the use of solvents in cleaning and hobby activities, the use of paint strippers in redecorating activities, and the use of cleaning products and pesticides in house- keeping. High pollutant concentrations can remain in the air for long periods after some of these activities.
For 50 things you can do now for cleaner air:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/brochure/simple_solutions.pdf
Air Quality Management Resources:
South Coast Air Quality Management District http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm