LETTER: Be part of the solution

To the editor:

    Students: welcome back to Cache Valley, famous for having the worst winter air quality in the nation. As I write it is a red air day with projections for worse pollution. Don’t assume that just because the sun is shining that the air is breathable. Check out current conditions at http://www.airquality.utah.gov/logan.html

    We are slowly poisoning ourselves, with vehicle pollution being the main culprit.  What can you do besides cough and complain? We all need to drive less and don’t “warm up” or idle your vehicle; skip the drive through. Guess how many mpg you get while idling? Take the free LTD/CVTD bus, walk or car pool; exercise indoors.  Educate yourself and your friends. For more info on the long term health effects and how to combat the problem, check out Choose Clean Air: http://www.cleanair.utah.gov/ and Breathe Utah: http://breatheutah.org/. Be part of the solution, not a cause of the problem.

Jean Lown, Ph.D.

FCHD Department