Employer Options for Improving Tennessee Air Quality

Employers, both government agencies and private sector companies, are essential partners in meeting Tennessee's air quality challenges. The employers that can help improve air quality are not limited to just the manufacturing industry, but also include hospitals, banks, law firms, universities and government agencies. Every employer in the state can do something to help achieve clean air.

Employers are often community leaders and have unique abilities to raise issues in their communities and to attract public attention to a given subject. Employers also have an obviously important relationship with their employees. Employers can usually communicate effectively with their employees, and employees typically assign greater weight and significance to issues raised by their employer. Because of these strengths, Tennessee's success in achieving clean air will depend, in large measure, on whether employers take an active role in reducing emissions.

There are several categories of voluntary actions that employers can take to improve air quality. Some of the major categories of actions are listed below. Employers can select ideas from this list based on their size, their activities, their location and other details about their operations.

• Trip reduction programs
• Commute benefits for employees
• Regional air quality action alert programs
• Operations and maintenance activities
• Energy efficiency and green power
• Cleaner fuels and vehicles for employer fleets
• Urban forestry programs

For example, reducing mobile source emissions (diesel trucks and buses, construction equipment, SUVs, minivans and cars) is essential to reduce unhealthy levels of air pollution in Tennessee communities. Depending on the nature of your organization, there are several options for you to consider for reducing mobile source emissions. One, you can help protect the quality of life in your community by taking voluntary steps to reduce the air pollution caused by your employees commuting to and from your workplace. The most promising strategies might include offering commute benefits and initiating a trip reduction program for your employees.

Second, you can act to reduce emissions from your organization's fleet vehicles, including forklifts and construction equipment. Options for accomplishing this include the purchase and use of cleaner fuels, and the purchase or lease of vehicles with cleaner engines. Third, employers can help by examining operations and maintenance activities and looking for opportunities to reduce emissions.

Follow the links on this page to find more information about employer options for improving air quality.