Employer Resources

NC DAQ works with many organization and companies to help them reach their sustainability or environmental goals.  If you have projects at your organization that help reduce air pollution we would love to hear about them!  Please contact us at air.awareness@ncdenr.gov to connect with a local air quality expert near you who can help you meet your organizations environmental goals.

Employers

• Designate a workplace coordinator for your AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY program. This person will be responsible for getting the word out within your company on action days. They will be the contact for air quality forecasting from N.C. Air Awareness.
• Notify employees of upcoming AIR QUALITY ACTION DAYS through e-mail, posters, intercom announcements, etc. Also, have your contact person insure that managers remind their employees.
• Provide convenient or covered parking for employees who car/van pool.
• Allow your staff to work at home, if possible, through telecommuting - especially on Air Quality Action Days.
• Use teleconferencing, instead of driving to meetings.
• Promote alternatives to drive-alone commuting, like carpooling, vanpooling, biking, walking, or teleworking.
• Obtain and promote transit maps and schedules for nearby routes to your employees. Including bus, car/van pool, and bike routes.
• Start a ridesharing program. https://www.sharetheridenc.org/Public/Home.aspx or Contact N.C. Air Awareness at 919-707-8400 for help.
• Offer employee incentives, recognition, and praise for alternatives to driving alone.
• If possible, encourage flex-time to reduce roadway congestion during peak commuting hours.
• Consider subsidizing transit (bus and vanpool) for your employees. 
• Buy a bike rack for your employees' use, or allow them to park bicycles safely indoors.
• Encourage employees to stay in during lunch on Air Quality Action Days. This could be done by creating a special lunch discount in your cafeteria. Or encourage employees to bring their lunch and provide free beverages, desserts, etc. Or organize deliveries from popular restaurants.
• Provide on-site services, such as ATMs to help employees make fewer trips.
• Arrange for an energy audit of your facility to reduce pollution and operating costs

Fleet Maintenance

• Delay refueling vehicles and equipment until late in the day on Air Quality Action Days. If you must refuel, do so after 6 p.m. whenever possible. Or refuel the evening before an AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY is issued.
• Coordinate deliveries from your site to eliminate multiple vehicle trips.
• Turn off vehicles when loading or unloading for extended periods of time. Idling for long periods uses more fuel than stopping and starting your engine.
• Consider conversion of your fleet vehicles to use alternative fuels: compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), propane, or electricity.

Industrial

• Defer cleaning with volatile solvents until late in the day on Air Quality Action Days. Use alternative cleaners that are non-volatile and non-hazardous when possible.
• Put off using gas-powered tools on Air Quality Action Days. Small engines are a significant source of air pollution.
• Schedule structural painting for cooler weather.
• Defer high-emission or batch production activities until evening shifts on Air Quality Action Days.
• Make water-based latex paints, stains, and sealers your first choice. If using oil-based coatings, ask for low-solvent versions.
• Implement money saving pollution prevention actions in such areas as waste separation, solvent recycling, or the use of high-efficiency electric motors.