SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, announces the May 1 start of Ozone Action season in Southeast Michigan. This is the 17th year of the voluntary program that helps keep Southeast Michigan’s air clean. There were three Ozone Action days last year in 2009.

The good news is that many of the actions that can make a difference for air quality can also save money during these difficult economic times.

1. Maintain your car with tune-ups, oil changes, clean air filters, and proper tire inflation. This can save you 23 gallons of gasoline per year on average (at $2.60/gallon, at least $60).
2. Trip chain. Combining three trips into one each week could eliminate 200 miles on your vehicle, and save 10 hours of time and 10 gallons of gas a year ($26).
3. Telecommute. Working from home one day a week can save the typical commuter 1,200 miles on their vehicle and over 58 gallons of gas a year ($150).

Ground-level ozone is a result of hot, sunny days. Elevated levels can be a health hazard, particularly for the elderly, the young, and those suffering from respiratory ailments such as emphysema or asthma.

Ozone Action days are announced in area media and other outlets, such as electronic freeway message signs.

Additional information on Ozone Action days is available on SEMCOG's Web site – www.semcog.org. Look for Ozone Action under “Hot Topics” on the home page. Stay up-to-date with Southeast Michigan’s Ozone Action program. Become a fan of us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! In addition to our traditional e-mail notifications, we will use these pages to keep Southeast Michigan residents up-to-speed on a variety of topics related to air-quality.

Residents wishing to be added to SEMCOG's Ozone Action e-mail notification list should send an e-mail to ozoneaction@semcog.org; put “notification” in the subject line and include name, phone number, and e-mail in the body of the e-mail.

Air quality in Southeast Michigan continues to improve. SEMCOG’s air-quality analysis clearly shows that air pollutant emissions will continue to decline significantly for several years.

SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of governmental units serving 4.8 million people in the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan striving to enhance the region's quality of life.