While it’s relatively cool on Canada’s west coast, those of us in the central and east part of the country are feeling the heat. Smog is air pollution, that, according to the Toronto Environmental Alliance, is made up of ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and sulphates. Smog days are starting to stack up, making life less healthy for, well, everyone, but particularly for those with asthma.

How can you be part of the smog solution? Here are a few ideas.

Smog fighting tips provided by renewable energy supplier Bullfrog Power, the Asthma Society of Canada and Canadian Physicians for the Environment:
1. Leave the car at home and take public transit
2. Buy local, sustainable food to help reduce transportation-related emissions
3. If you live in Ontario, send a letter to your local paper or MPP supporting Ontario’s coal power phase-out
4. Support renewable energy with Bullfrog Power

And here are a few ideas from me:
5. Use your bike or your own two feet to do errands. Try commuting to work on your bike, but route through paths and side roads rather than major streets.
6. Try starting a carpool group at work. This tip saves money, too!
7. Consider making your next car an electric vehicle (EV). A few models should be for sale in Canada this fall.
8. Reconsider the camp fire. Sure, they’re romantic, but do you really need a fire on a hot summer night?
9. Retire you gas-powered lawn mower, power washer, leaf blower or trimmer. Electric models do a great job, and people-powered options offer a little character-building exercise!
10. Cut your power consumption to eliminate need for coal-fired plants (if you aren’t using renewable electricity and green natural gas). Right now that means avoiding using air conditioning, ensuring you have an efficient fridge and other major appliances, having faster, cooler showers and making more cold meals, such as salads.

When a smog day is announced:
- Stay indoors
- Exercise indoors or much later in the day
- Breathe through your nose if you are outside during high smog situations
- If you have asthma, monitor your asthma symptoms closely and talking to your doctor about having a written Asthma Action Plan that you can use if you start to have asthma symptoms.

Are you bothered by smog?

That's pollen under the microscope

Dr. Waserman notes that, from an allergy standpoint, we have additional reasons to crank down our release of GHGs (primarily carbon dioxide, but methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons also play a part, as noted here). She says that “smollen” – a lovely combination of smog and pollen, plagues people in more urban environments, and can make breathing difficult for allergy sufferers, particularly those with asthma.

The good news, Dr. Waserman says, is we have effective antihistamines (Disclosure: the session was sponsored by Reactine), they’re effective, they don’t make us drowsy and they’re safe to take, even during pregnancy, and we don’t become tolerant to them – they continue to work well over time. Dr. Waserman also prescribes nasal steroids to some patients. A January 2010 survey presented in this morning’s session showed that nearly a third of Canadians will just tough out allergy symptoms, sometimes canceling events or missing work, rather than seeking treatment. If GHG emissions keep going up, no doubt some people will change their minds and look for help!

We can hope that governments make change to reduce our GHG output (although recent commitments are disheartening), but there are things you and I can do to be part of the solution.
- Canadians’ most common GHG output comes from driving gasoline-engine vehicles (yes, what goes in the gas tank puffs out the tailpipe!), so the less we drive the better, and electric cars are coming onto the market hopefully by the end of this year.
- Many of us use oil or gas-fuelled furnaces and other appliances, but we can replace these with more efficient models, or switch to electric versions. My partner and I are researching electric, on-demand water-heating options so we can say goodbye to our gas-powered tank. (For home heating and cooling, heat pumps, such as geothermal systems or air-source heat pumps are a fabulous alternative.)
- Depending on where you live, you may be using electricity that’s generated from burning coal. Most Canadians enjoy electricity from hydro and nuclear sources, but to use green energy switch to a renewable energy provider). I’ve been buying green power for several years now, and I don’t find it costs much more.

Those are some of the big changes we can make. Beyond that, it’s all those annoying little everyday decisions about what we eat and what goods we need, since they take energy to create, transport and sell. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with the line between “need” and “want” on just about a daily basis!

If you’re like me and you’re bothered by allergies (that’d be about 25 per cent of Canadians), the connections between GHGs, pollution and allergies offer just one more great reason to live greener.