A Message from Commissioner Easterly
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Transcript
Hello, I’m Tom Easterly, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Did you know that there are more than six million Hoosiers living in Indiana today? Each of us makes small decisions every day as we go about our lives. Those small decisions can impact our environment more than we may realize.
Did you know vehicle exhaust is the largest source of summertime ozone pollution? The choices we make about our transportation and vehicle use can go a long way toward healthier air. Our air quality is affected by something as ordinary as idling your vehicle in a drive-through line.
This is especially true during the last two weeks of June, when ozone levels have historically been high. Gas vapors and emissions can build up and “cook” on these and other hot summer days, forming ozone pollution. However, clean air isn’t just a summertime issue; it depends upon our actions all year long.
Hoosiers can be proud that our air is much healthier today than just four years ago. All of Indiana met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone standard in 2008 - a milestone that Hoosiers should celebrate. Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightened the standards for both ozone and fine particles. So we have work to do, but it’s a challenge us Hoosiers can meet.
This is why I’m asking Indiana to participate in this year’s Clean Air Indiana campaign. The campaign asks Hoosiers to pledge to protect air quality by reducing harmful emissions through life’s everyday little decisions. As Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
All of us—individuals, communities and businesses—can do our part to protect Indiana’s air. Let’s carpool, walk or bike to our destination, avoid idling our vehicles and do more to conserve energy. Reducing emissions from a summertime maintenance project or a change in raw materials or process may be an option for certain businesses and communities. These little changes can add up to make a big difference to improve air quality.
Remember, what we do each and every day can add up and impact our air quality. Together, six million Hoosiers can make a positive difference. It’s your choice, your air, your future.
