Well I decided to go with encouraged use of public transportation because it is one good way that the average citizen can help in reduction of air pollution. Although I am a supporter of public transportation I still felt that it would be difficult for me to come up with ideas, and at first it was; however as I started delving into the topic with the use of the internet, it became clear that there is a lot of research done on the subject as well as many things to encourage such ways of commuting sponsored by the government.
I think the thing that was most surprising was the amount of money available in the form of tax breaks and other such given by the government to those who use public transportation everyday to get to work, up to $230/month ($2760/year). Noting that a car on average costs about $5000/year (while the average public transportation/year is about $500), some people are saving $7000-9000/year on this public transportation program, for low-income houses this could be extremely significant. publictransportation.org
Automobiles account for 25% of the air pollution nationwide. We may not be able to stop industry from polluting but if we can all do a small part, than we could really make a difference. Even if everyone took one day a week to use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike to work or school we could lower the air pollution in some areas anywhere from 5-15%, which for not doing much more than not driving one day a week is a very significant reduction.
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