Wednesday is California Clean Air Day and in San Diego, the Metropolitan Transit System is celebrating with its zero emissions electric buses – which will, one day, make up the agency’s entire fleet.
MTS will display some of its electric buses at a few transit centers across San Diego, including the Old Town Transit Center on Taylor Street. Last month, the MTS Board of Directors approved a draft plan to transition the agency’s entire bus fleet to zero emission vehicles by 2040.
MTS said this move is expected to reduce the agency’s greenhouse gas emissions by 43%. You can read more about the plan here.
According to the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report for 2020, San Diego is the No. 6 “Most Polluted” city in the U.S. You can read all about San Diego’s ranking here.
Wildfires, traffic and other factors have led to that air quality ranking and experts say it can impact public health, so improving our air quality more important than ever.
And everyone can do their part to help.
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Some things people can do daily to help reduce air pollution include bringing a lunch to work, walking to lunch, walking or bicycling to the store, and changing the cabin air filter in your car.
During California Clean Air Day, people are encouraged to do at least one of those things and take the pledge on this website.
There are even ideas for kids who want to do their part to keep the air clean. This includes walking to school or the park, planting a garden or a tree, or making a craft project about air quality to raise awareness.
