Clear the Air Challenge!

(Wow, this is turning into Stuff I Care About Week)

I love Utah. I love living in Utah. I have to sit on my hands so I don't punch people when they say mean things about Utah. But there is one thing, specifically, that always concerns me: the inversions and smog problems we sometimes struggle with during some seasons. The mountains are beautiful, but they can also as the sides of a bowl, put an air-pressure lid on top of those mountains: all the vehicle and building emissions, fires, and other junk just stays put in our valleys. We get notifications on the news that the air is harmful to children and those with respiratory issues. Oh, that's just great.

But you can do something about it. 50% of air pollution comes from our vehicles. If we can make some small changes, we could really reduce poor air quality, and make it safer for our kids to be healthy.

A few tips from Clear the Air:

• Consider replacing car trips less than two miles with family outings on foot or bicycle
• Set up a Walking School Bus (a group of kids who walk together to school with adult supervision.) 
• Approach other families about a neighborhood carpool with a schedule and ground rules
• Look into public transport options (I can't wait until we get more light rail!)
• Think about your errands before you get in the car and plan an efficient route

Cool Things that Could Happen

• Decreased traffic congestion
• Reduced energy consumption
• Saving money
• Improved health for our families
• Maybe even improve our health long term and prevent environmental damage

So, what can you do? You can take the Clear Air Challenge! Governor Herbert and Mayors Corroon and Becker, are challenging us to a month-long competition, August 1-31st 2012, to reduce our emissions and choosing alternatives to driving alone. Register here and set your goals. Sign up to focus your family's efforts to drive less. Put a plan into action. Log the trips you save using alternatives to driving alone. Use the TravelWise Tracker to see your impact in miles, gas, dollars, and saved energy. I signed up when we went to the Hogle Zoo a few days ago. It took me less than a minute and only 3 baby screams. 

I think the Clear the Air Challenge would be a great project for kids working towards a goal or merit badge. And if you're feeling this, join me on the TodaysMama Team when you sign up! We can all see how we're all doing and encourage each other. Rumor has it they also have prizes for keeping up on the challenge.


Kisses!


Air Kisses!

Clean Air Kisses!

Dear Ford,

I'd love to be yours for a Ford Flex. I mean, who wouldn't love a Ford Flex? It's like a minivan with attitude: a two-tone, low-slung, leather-wearing, voice-activated hunk of gorgeous American blue steel.



If the Flex were a diamond, it would be a Harry Winston. If the Flex were a book it would be Fight Club. If the Flex were a movie it would be the movie adaptation of Fight Club. If Flex were on Mad Men it would be the white-hot love between Roger Sterling and Joan Holloway. If Flex were a band it would be The Killers. Or maybe Whitesnake.

I could drive a Flex for a couple of years, tell everyone how much I love it, plaster copious pictures of me on this here blog doing glamorous, but down-to-earth things with my Flex (like eating Oysters Rockefeller in the carpool lane, or planning a trip to Malaga and also Costco with my nav system.) We could be exclusive, because I'd shape up for you, baby.

And really, my friends can't get enough of my telling them what they love and what they should do; I get phone calls asking for my opinion all day. I can't help but think how their eyes would start batting in your direction, Ford, if they saw me driving one around (right, guys? Seriously...guys...hey, wait up!)

I was once devoted to Ford: I learned how to drive a manual on an F150; I loved my full size Bronco, but then I bought a Toyota, and we all know how that turned out.

But Ford, we have to work on this now, because I need a car so that I can do crazy-mysterious things like go to work, drive my children, haul gourmet cheeses, imported drinks, copious diapers, all with time left over to hit the party circuit. Maybe I wouldn't need the party circuit with my Flex's SYNC. That's right, party in my new Flex, every day at noon-thirty.


What do you think, Ford, want to rescue me from the clutches of Toyota where I've languished for fourteen years?

Yours,

The grounded Jet Set