The South Coast Air Quality Management District is campaigning with its “Cleaning the Air We Breathe” in its 10 ways to clean it.

Here are some of the 10 things we should be working on.

First, it asks us to get involved, since nowadays that is the way to get something done.

We could get involved by joining the free membership with Clean Air Congress.

Second, it isn’t all about trading your old car for a ‘greener’ car, but if you can then do it, but when looking for a new car, that’s when you can try to buy the ‘greenest’ car possible. Why? Because cars are “responsible for more than half of all smog-forming emissions.”

Third, did you know that dry cleaners are responsible for emitting about 850 tons of toxic chemicals (perchloroethylene) a year? Apparently that is a lot. Look for dry cleaners that use nontoxic methods (CleanAirCongress.org).

Fourth, if you are going to paint anything, like your room, look for coatings that have little to no smog-forming pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Apparently they cause for more than 50 tons per day of smog-forming pollutants, which is five times the amount from oil refineries.

Last, during the summer try to plant a tree instead of using lots of air conditioning because that raises power plant emissions, and try to switch that barbecue grill to more of a natural gas grill, some places even offer rebates at purchase.

These new habits are just some of the things we can do to clean our air, things that we did not know that cause polluted air.

It isn’t only important to reach state and federal air quality standards but to reach health standards as well.