Thanks to our friends and partners at RAQC (Regional Air Quality Council - raqc.org), we have some simple steps that each and everyone of us can take to be more a part of the air quality solution than the air quality problem. Get to it.

Take a few simple steps to breathe easier this summer.

You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. This invisible pollutant even accumulates the most on hot and sunny blue-sky days, when the Colorado air appears clear. Yet ground-level ozone is the Front Range’s most pressing air quality problem, impacting our health and environment each summer.

Ozone is simply three oxygen atoms stuck together. High up in the atmosphere, stratospheric ozone serves an important purpose: it protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. But at ground level, high concentrations of ozone are toxic to people and plants: irritating our throats and lungs, making it difficult to breathe, increasing our susceptibility to respiratory infections, and exacerbating ailments such as asthma.

Where does this pollution come from? Ground-level ozone (also called surface-level ozone or tropospheric ozone) is formed when two chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), react in the sunshine and heat that build up on Colorado summer days. These emissions come mainly from our gas-powered vehicles, lawn equipment, and oil and gas production.

Ozone builds up to unhealthy levels in the Front Range due to these human-caused emissions being concentrated in a highly populated 9-county area, the region's geography, and weather patterns. Summer ozone levels are often highest in the western and southern part of the Denver metro, although this pollution is the result of emissions generated over a much wider area.

Both colorless and odorless, ozone is different than wildfire smoke, particulate pollution, or the infamous “brown cloud” from decades past. And we have made good progress on ground-level ozone pollution over the years — we just have a bit further to go, to reach healthier levels set by the EPA. The good news: we can reduce ground-level ozone in the Front Range every day in the summer.

First, sign up for ozone alerts from the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC)’s Simple Steps. Better Air. program to receive timely updates by text or email when ozone levels are high in the Front Range: SimpleStepsBetterAir.org/signup-for-alerts.

You can also sign up for air quality alerts from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), which include information on ozone, wildfire smoke, particulate matter, and more. You can learn more about ozone’s impact on your health from CDPHE as well as more about ground-level ozone from the EPA.

Second, take some Simple Steps for Better Air to reduce your emissions.

Find yourself driving a lot? Skip two car trips per week by carpooling, combining errands, and walking, taking a scooter, bike, bus, or the light rail to get where you need to go. Fuel up your car after 5 p.m., and don’t idle in the driveway or parking lot—instead, turn the car off & on again. Consider a low- or zero-emissions vehicle, like an electric vehicle (EV), when it's time to purchase a new vehicle.

Own or manage a property with a grass lawn? Switch to electric lawn equipment, or mow after 5 p.m. when possible, to keep emissions from building up in the heat of the day. And as many of us do these days, you can work from home at least one day a week and eliminate your commute altogether!

Visit SimpleStepsBetterAir.org for more information about how to reduce your ozone impact this summer and help your Colorado community breathe easier.

Want to get involved? Take our outdoor athlete survey.