May is Water Awareness Month

May is water awareness month and as we all know water is one of our most precious resources. With droughts occurring throughout the United States, it is time that you begin thinking about the amount of water you are consuming in your own home. Follow these tips and not only will you be saving money on your water bill but also will conserve one of our most valuable resources!

• Use only as much water on your lawn as you need.  Step on your grass and if it springs back when you lift your foot, it doesn't need water. Use the watering calculator and watering index found at www.bewaterwise.com to learn just how much you should water. Doing this saves you 750 to 1,500 gallons of water a month!

• Fix leaky faucets, plumbing joints and your sprinkler system.  This will save you 20 gallons a day for every leak stopped.

• Replace your old washing machine with a new high-efficiency model. Doing this can save you 20 to 30 gallons of water per load. Also, you can be eligible to receive a $250 rebate on the purchase of a qualifying model from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

• Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. This saves 300 to 800 gallons of water a month.

• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. You can save up to 150 gallons or more each time! 

• Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket. You will conserve up to 200 gallons a month.

In Los Angeles, water is a precious resource that we must protect. Because of this, there are certain uses of water that are prohibited. You cannot:

• Use water on hard surfaces such as sidewalks, walkways, driveways, or parking areas.

• Water lawns between 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., April 1 to September 30 and between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., October 1 to March 31.

• Allow excess water from sprinklers to flood gutters.

• Use water to clean, fill, or maintain, decorative fountains unless the water is  part of a recirculation system.

• Serve water to customers in eating establishments, unless requested.

• Allow leaks to go unattended.  

To report water waste, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power at 1-800-342-5397. Log on to www.ladwp.com for more water-saving tips and to learn more about the prohibited uses of water in our city. Do your part conserve one of our most precious resources!

 

City of Los Angeles Government Fleet Milestones

Making Air Quality Progress via Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Fuel Economy Programs

The City's government fleet and their project partners are a designated as a "Clean Cities Coalition" under the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, a national program that promotes and supports the use of alternative fuels. Since establishing a "Clean Fuel Policy" in 2000, the City's alternative fuel fleet has grown by an average of 23 percent per year. The City's active fleet now includes over 3,232 alternative fuel vehicles, with supporting alternative fueling stations and maintenance facilities. AFV use and fuel economy programs resulted in the conservation of over 7 million gallons of conventional fuel during the last reporting year. The City's AFV fleet and other emission reduction programs eliminated 8.3 million pounds of air pollutants from vehicles for last fiscal year at an average cost of 30 cents per pound of pollutant reduced. City employees participating in trip reduction programs eliminated over 50 million vehicle miles this year by sharing rides, using public transit or riding or walking to work. Progress details follow below.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles Cost-Effective Emission Reductions

• The City controls a growing fleet of 3,232 alternative-fuel vehicles that run on propane, electricity, liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas, and hydrogen fuels. Dual fuel (LNG/diesel) and hybrid (gasoline/electric) models are also counted as a part of the alternative fuel fleet. The City has the largest municipally-owned alternative fuel refuse collection fleet in the nation.

• The City owns or was a partner in developing 19 alternative fuel dispensing stations and over 175 electrical recharging stations, including 2 state-of-the art fueling facilities for hydrogen vehicles.

• The City conserved approximately 7 million gallons of gasoline through alternative fuel use and fuel economy programs in 2007.

Cost-Effective Emission Reductions

• In 2007, the City reduced over 8 million pounds of air pollutant emissions using State Motor Vehicle Fees distributed to the City via the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

• This annual reduction was achieved at an average cost of 30 cents per pound of air pollutant reduced.

• The City operates a state-of-the-art traffic flow and signal control system, known as the ATSAC (automated traffic surveillance and control) system, resulting in a reduction in idling and millions of pounds of standard air pollutants each year. ATSAC reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 1,741 million pounds in 2006/2007. A total of 3,304 City intersections are under ATSAC control, with more planned.

• Since establishing a "Clean Fuels Policy" in 2000, the City has obtained more than $21 million in grants to help with the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure development.

• Bicycle Patrol Program participants from 7 City Departments traveled almost 2 million miles last year. More than 1 million vehicle miles were eliminated because two bikes replace one City patrol car, on average.

• City employees participating in the City's Carpool and Vanpool Rideshare Program eliminate over 24 million vehicle miles per year. City employees receiving a subsidy for using public transit or bicycling or walking to work eliminate almost 26 million vehicle miles per year.

For more information on the Los Angeles Clean Cities Coalition, visit www.lacity.org/EAD/EADWeb-AQD/LACleanCity.htm.

The 1970's: From Earth Day to Three Mile Island

Last month, our timeline of environmental events culminated in the first Earth Day, in 1970. Ironically, despite a shift from away from 1960s activism to conspicuous materialism, the 1970s also ushered environmentalism into the mainstream. Here's a recap of the highs and lows of the decade.

1960s Addendum

In 1969, the California Legislature enacted the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, establishing the State Water Resources Control Board and nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards. The Boards set quality standards for water that's discharged to land surfaces or other bodies of water.

1970
Twenty million people celebrate the first Earth Day.

Congress amends the Clean Air Act to set national air quality, auto emission, and anti-pollution standards.

In California:

The legislature enacted the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is considered the backbone of environmental law and policy for the state.

The population reached 20 million people; the state's more than 12 million registered vehicles traveled 110 billion miles. Cumulative statewide vehicle emissions for NOx and HCs were 1.6 million tons/year.  

Bans on backyard burning are enacted in portions of the state.

1971
Congress restricts use of lead-based paint in residences and on cribs and toys.

In California:

The Air Resources Board (ARB) adopts the first automobile NOx (nitrogen oxides) standards in the nation. NOx is a generic term for highly reactive gases that can form toxic chemicals.  It's involved in formation of ground-level ozone and contributes to the formation of acid rain and global warming.

1972
EPA bans DDT, a cancer-causing pesticide, and requires extensive review of all pesticides.

Congress passes the Clean Water Act, limiting raw sewage and other pollutants flowing into rivers, lakes, and streams.

In California:

Passage of Proposition 20, the Coastal Zone Conservation Act, establishes the California Coastal Commission to oversee planning, development, and access to the 1,000+ miles of coastline.

The Hazardous Waste Control Law, the state's basic hazardous waste statute, is enacted; it's administered by the Department of Toxics Substances Control.

1973
EPA begins phasing out leaded gasoline.

The OPEC oil embargo triggers panic, conservation efforts, and research into alternative energy sources

1974
Congress passes the Safe Drinking Water Act, allowing the EPA to regulate the quality of public drinking water.

1975
Congress establishes fuel economy and tail-pipe emission standards for cars, resulting in the introduction of catalytic converters.

In California:

The areas including Orange County and urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties exceeded Stage 1 smog alerts on 118 days.  

1976
Congress passes the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), regulating hazardous waste from production to disposal.

In California:

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is formed and the ARB limits lead in gasoline.

The California Coastal Commission becomes a permanent commission with passage of the Coastal Act of 1976.

1977
President Jimmy Carter signs the Clean Air Act Amendments to strengthen air quality standards and protect human health.

1978
An emergency is declared after residents of Love Canal, New York, discover their community is contaminated by leaking chemical containers that were buried decades earlier.

The federal government bans chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants in aerosol cans because they destroy the ozone layer, which protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

1979
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the most significant such incident in the US, occurs a few weeks after the release a movie about a nuclear accident (The China Syndrome); the EPA and other agencies monitor radioactive fallout.

The second oil crisis ensues after Ayatollah Khomeini seizes control of Iran; the Carter administration instituted price controls.  (As a sidenote, by some estimates, Americans wasted up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day idling their engines in the lines at gas stations; J. Leggett, 2005, Half Gone: Oil, Gas, Hot Air and the Global Energy Crisis).

Next month, the 1980s, with holes in the ozone and other matters.

EAD Promotes Increased Asthma Awareness

As May 1 swiftly approaches, the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) is gearing up to observe World Asthma Day, as well as celebrating May as Asthma Awareness Month.  Events oriented around the theme "You Can Control Your Asthma" will take place here in Los Angeles, as well as in dozens of countries around the world.  Asthma experts are calling for increased efforts in asthma diagnosis, education, and treatment to enable more asthma sufferers to reach the goal of controlling their disease.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide.  It is the most prevalent chronic disease among children in California, and 2.3 million Californians suffer from the debilitating disease.  Asthma attacks send children in Los Angeles to the emergency more often than in any other "hot spot" (area of highest concentrations of asthma cases around the country), according to a study released by the American Lung Association (ALA).

Forty-six percent of the asthmatic children in Los Angeles were rushed to emergency rooms in 2006, topping 13 other "hot spot" regions around the nation, the ALA study showed. The city ranked worse than the national average in every category the survey measured.  Experts said they suspect that Los Angeles fares so poorly because of a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of education about the chronic lung disease.

"People are accepting a way of life that isn't acceptable," said Dr. Miguel Lanz, a Miami-based allergist who analyzed the study.  "Even a severe asthmatic should never have to go to the emergency room."  Asthma is characterized by recurrent breathing problems and symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing.  Asthma symptoms vary over time, and also from individual to individual.

"With proper treatment, asthma control is a goal that is within reach for the great majority of asthma patients," says Paul O'Byrne, MD, Chair of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Executive Committee.  "Effective treatments for asthma are available that can enable people who have this common respiratory disease to live full, active lives."

A person's asthma is under control when he or she has:

• Minimal or no asthma symptoms. 

• No waking at night due to asthma.

• Minimal or no need to use "reliever" medication.

• The ability to do normal physical activity and exercise.

• Normal (or near-normal) lung function test results (PEF and FEV₁).

• No (or very infrequent) asthma attacks.

Inasmuch as asthma continues to effect the quality of life for many of the residents of Los Angeles City and County, EAD is continuing it's many effort to get the word out about asthma awareness and asthma control strategies.  Detrich B. Allen, General Manager of EAD, recently stated, "As we learn more about asthma and its causes, we must continue to develop ways to effectively reduce its impact on individuals' health and on our communities at large.  Right now, the very best tool we have is to educate the public about asthma, its causes, prevention, and treatment."

Ms. Allen also stated "Just as important, we need to continue to improve the quality of our air.  The City has implemented a number of measures to reduce emissions from stationary and mobile sources, including replacing heavy-duty diesel vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles and installing particulate traps on the remaining diesel vehicles. Our efforts to reduce air pollution will help to reduce the suffering of people who have to live with asthma."

Please make the connection and do your part to help everyone breathe easier.  For more information about asthma and air quality, contact Breathe California of Los Angeles County at 323-935-8050 or by email at info@breathela.org.  Learn more at their website at www.breathela.org.  Another great reference for more valuable information is the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, who can be reached toll free at 1-800-7-ASTHMA or by email at Info@aafa.org.  Their website can be found at www.aafa.org