Public Education
Goal
The DAQ’s Public Education and Outreach program aims to enhance our interaction with the community and industry to create awareness and generate interest in air quality, transform behaviors and habits and encourage voluntary air pollution-reducing actions.
Classroom Education
The DAQ will present air quality education at STEM events, school fairs, and classrooms upon request. To request a speaker, please email airquality@wycokck.org
Climate Change
Reduce your carbon footprint and help reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Carbon Footprint Calculator will give your organization a way to measure your sustainability plan.
Several things to do to reduce pollution, save our environment, and save money:
Change a Light
If every American home replaced just one light bulb or fixture with an Energy Star, every year, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes, more than $600 million in energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.
Use Less Hot Water
Lots of energy is used to heat water. By installing low-flow shower heads and faucets, using cold or warm water to do laundry, running the dishwasher only when full, and turning the water heater setting down, you can reduce energy usage and save money.
Adjust Your Thermostat
Moving your thermostat down by (2) degrees in winter and up by (2) degrees in summer would save about 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Plant a Tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. If located on the south and west side of your home, a deciduous tree will help cool your home in the summer with shade.
Conserve Energy
Turn off electronic devices (televisions, DVD players, stereo, computers, etc.) when you are not using them, and save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Buy Local
Shipping products to retail stores consume large amounts of fuel and energy. Buying local products from close to home is sustainable in several ways. Also, products with less packaging reduce what goes to our landfills.
Tips for reducing Ground-level Ozone
On the Road
- Take the bus, walk or ride a bike, (area bus fares are reduced on Ozone Alert days) or carpool to work. Call Rideshare at (816) 842-RIDE (7433) or visit ridesharekc.org for a free list of carpool partners.
- Drive at off-peak hours to reduce traffic congestion.
- Keep your car engine tuned.
- Ask a mechanic to check your emissions control system.
At Play
- Plan outdoor activities for the early morning or late afternoon hours and avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.
- Plan activities that don't require motors or gasoline. Hike, bike, skate, swim, canoe, sail, golf, or play tennis and team sports.
- Keep engines tuned in boats and other recreational vehicles.
At Home
- Use a charcoal chimney instead of charcoal lighter fluid.
- Consider purchasing an electric mower, or push mower if your lawn is small.
- If you use a gas mower, keep it tuned and wait until evening to mow your lawn.
- Use water-based paints rather than oil-based ones.
- Limit the use of pesticides, furniture polish, paint thinners, solvents, and petroleum products.
- Keep solvents and petroleum products tightly capped.
At the Service Station
- Avoid spills to reduce gas fumes; don't "top off" tank; tighten gas cap.
- Wait until evening (after 7:00 PM) to fill your car with gas.
Landscaping Ideas
- Convert Turf Grass to Green Space(PDF, 158KB)
- Native Grasses & Forbs(PDF, 186KB):
- Several turf grass was converted to native prairie by planting the following native grasses and forbs: (grasses) big bluestem, Indian areas grass, switchgrass, little bluestem, prairie dropseed, purple top, buffalo grass, side oats grama, blue grama, purple love grass, (forbs) red sage, prairie blazing star, blue false indigo, white false indigo, purple coneflower, pale purple coneflower, black-eyed susan, blue lobelia, lead plant, and butterfly milkweed. The Kansas Native Plant Society has chosen the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK - Department of Air Rachel Snyder Award Quality’s Clean Air Lawn Care Project to receive the Rachael Snyder Memorial Landscape Award at the 2007 KNPS Annual Meeting in Hutchinson, KS.
- Plant ground cover
- Plant trees and shrubs
- Build rock gardens, water gardens, patios, and decks
Calculate the air pollution you generate when you mow and trim your yard. For every hour you spend mowing and trimming, you create the following amounts of air pollution.
| Pollutant |
Mowing (lbs.) |
Trimming (lbs.) |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) |
4.05 |
2.3 |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) |
4.4 |
3.3 |
| Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) |
0.004 |
0.002 |
| Particulate Matter (PM) |
0.013 |
0.006 |
| Volatile Organic Carbons (VOC) |
0.39 |
0.78 |
More Information
Indoor Air
DAQ focuses on industry emissions as well as ambient (outdoor) air. For complaints regarding mold please contact Neighborhood Resource Center at 913-573-8600
The State of Kansas and EPA currently have no “standards of care” for residential indoor air quality, nor have threshold levels of exposure to common indoor pollutants been established to protect public health.
More Information
The Environmental Protection Agency - Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Unified Government Code of Ordinance
| Chapter # |
Chapter Title |
Article # |
Article Title |
Section(s) |
| 3 |
Air Pollution |
All |
All |
All |
Kansas State Statute (K.S.A)
| Chapter # |
Chapter Title |
Article # |
Article Title |
Section(s) |
| 65 |
Public Health |
30 |
Air Quality Control |
65-3016
|