Get Involved

Every Action Counts

10 Simple Steps for Improving Air Quality

  • Take Mass Transit

    The average driver spends about 64 cents per mile to drive their personal vehicle, including ownership and maintenance. By opting to take public transit or carpooling just once a week, you’ll save money and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. Fewer vehicles on the road mean fewer sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOX). A reduction in these ozone-forming components may result in an overall improvement of the local air quality

  • Combine Errands - Trip Chain

    Chances are, you’re already trip-chaining by combining your errands into one trip. It helps you get things done and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

  • Ride Your Bike

    Transportation accounts for 29 percent of all air pollution nationwide; ride a bike or walk for short trips during morning hours when ozone levels are lower.

  • Walk Instead of Ride

    Walk or skate instead of driving! These modes of transportation are easy ways to get exercise and they’re easy on the air.

  • Care for your Car

    Regular maintenance, tune-ups, oil changes, and checking tire pressure can improve gas mileage, extend your car’s life, and increase its resale value. It can also reduce traffic congestion by preventing breakdowns and lead to reduced emissions.

  • Fuel When It's Cool

    SKIP FUELING ON OZONE ALERT DAYS! Refueling during cooler periods of the day (morning/evening) can prevent gas fumes from heating up and creating ozone. This is essential to practice on air alert days when high ozone levels may be present.

  • Don't Top Off The Tank

    Topping off your tank releases gas fumes into the air and cancels the benefits of the car’s antipollution equipment. This practice is also dangerous because it can lead to spills, with gasoline either getting on your body, clothes, or on the ground. Stopping short of a full tank is safer and it reduces pollution.

  • Telecommute - Work from Home

    Work from home if possible. You’ll save time and money while reducing emissions and traffic congestion.

  • Know Before You Go

    Be in the know about traffic in your area: tune into your local radio for traffic reports, watch local news, or map your route via smartphone application. Get traffic updates before you leave home and you won’t get stuck in a traffic jam, preventing your car from running/idling longer than necessary.

  • Avoid Drive Thru - Go Inside

    Idling your vehicle for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and emits more CO2 than turning off and restarting your engine. Every time you use a drive-thru window you waste gas, money, and emit air pollution by idling. Do your part! Next time you are at a fastfood restaurant, ATM, bank, or other location with a drive-thru, go inside instead.

General

  • https://www.acogok.org/events/

  • Citizens are DEQ’s eyes and ears when it comes to natural or man-made disasters.  We suggest citizens call our reporting hotline

    (1-800-522-0206)

    for any environmental concerns. We are here to educate, assist, and partner with citizens and communities to improve Oklahoma’s environment.

  • https://www.deq.ok.gov/external-affairs-division/for-citizens/

    OBRA encourages citizens and communities to get involved with the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) and DEQ’s advisory councils. By doing so, citizens and communities will reap environmental benefits, cost savings, and improved quality of life.  Citizens can ask questions, provide input, and report issues that are important and relate directly to their community.  Our processes are open and transparent, and we believe everyone should have a seat at the table.

    For more information on the board and advisory councils, visit  Boards and Councils.

    Citizens are DEQ’s eyes and ears when it comes to natural or man-made disasters.  We suggest citizens call our reporting hotline (1-800-522-0206) for any environmental concerns. We are here to educate, assist, and partner with citizens and communities to improve Oklahoma’s environment.

Development

  • planokc

  • https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/building-recognition/building-certification

    Certified Buildings Save

    ENERGY STAR certified buildings save energy, save money, and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by EPA. 

    Specifically, to be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA’s 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. This 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score is based on the actual, measured energy use of a building and is calculated within EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. The score accounts for differences in operating conditions, regional weather data, and other important considerations. Learn more about how the 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score is calculated.

    Certification Is Annual and Verified by a Third-Party

    Certification is given on an annual basis, so a building must maintain its high performance to be certified year to year. And the information submitted in the certification application must be verified by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to be eligible for approval.

    Ready to apply?

    How to apply for ENERGY STAR certification

    Tips for low-cost verifications

    Do you own or manage an industrial plant? Learn more about ENERGY STAR certification for plants.

Oil and Gas

Schools

  • https://www.epa.gov/schools/idle-free-schools-toolkit-healthy-school-environment

    The Idle-Free Schools Toolkit includes information needed to run an effective idling reduction campaign at a school to reduce student exposure to toxic vehicle exhaust. The Toolkit also provides the resources to make this a student-run science or community involvement project, providing students with the opportunity to learn how to run a public service campaign while expanding their science and math skills.

    Idling vehicles contribute to air pollution and emit air toxins, which are pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. Monitoring at schools has shown elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other air toxics during the afternoon hour coinciding with parents picking up their children. Children’s lungs are still developing, and when they are exposed to elevated levels of these pollutants, children have an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems and other adverse health effects. Limiting a vehicle’s idling time can dramatically reduce these pollutants and children’s exposure to them.

Supply Chain

  • https://www.epa.gov/smartway/learn-about-smartway

  • https://www.epa.gov/smm/comprehensive-procurement-guideline-cpg-program

    The Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) program is part of EPA's Sustainable Materials Management initiative that promotes a system approach to reducing materials use, associated greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and the other environmental impacts over the materials’ entire life cycle.

    The CPG program is authorized by Congress under Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S. Code 6962).

    CPG continues the effort to promote the use of materials recovered from the municipal solid waste stream. Buying products made with recovered materials ensures that the materials collected in recycling programs will be used again in the manufacture of new products. There are 61 products designated in eight categories.

    EPA designated products that are or can be made with recovered materials, and recommended practices for buying these products. Once a product is designated, procuring agencies are required to purchase it with the highest recovered material content level practicable. EPA published recommended recycled-content levels in a Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) in the Federal Register. Further information on the regulatory background of CPGs and the RMANs is on the regulatory background page.

Transportation

  • Stats

  • Policies

  • Get Involved

  • Transportation Emissions

  • Emissions

  • Reducing Emissions

  • Maps

  • Why Air Quality Matters