The holiday season is here!  It is a time to enjoy our family, friends, and traditions.  While we celebrate the holiday season, keeping clean air efforts in mind helps everyone have a healthier holiday!  Here are 12 clean air tips to keep in mind as you are out shopping and visiting friends and family.

• Carpool when visiting friends and family
• Combine trips when holiday shopping
• Watch vehicle tire pressure in cold weather
• Minimize idling
• Observe speed limits when going shopping or traveling to visit friends and family
• Shop for low or no emission vehicles if a new car is on your wish list
• Shop locally for gifts
• Use reusable gift bags or boxes to reduce waste
• Use LED lights for holiday lighting
• If a wood fire is part of your holiday season, be sure to burn dry, seasoned wood
• Make sure to inspect and clean chimneys and wood burning appliances
• Check for local recycle programs to recycle Christmas trees and other holiday waste when the holiday season is over

For more information about clean air tips or the health impacts of air pollution, visit https://hccleanair.org/clean-air-education. Using these tips will help reduce emissions that contribute to ozone formation and reduce particulate matter emissions for a healthier holiday season for all! 

Alternative transportation reduces emissions by reducing the number of cars and trucks on the road.  Did you know that Granbury provides some alternative transportation options?  Alternative transportation choices in Granbury include public transportation like the Granbury Trolley and The Transit System as well as active transportation like walking or biking along the Moments-in-Time hike and bike trail. 

The Granbury Trolley is a complimentary shuttle that stops at local hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other locations then circles back to the Historic Downtown Square.  Some of the stops include the Doll House Museum, the Bridge Street History Museum, the Train Depot, Memorial Lane and Jim Burks Memorial Park, as well as other sites in Granbury.  More information about the stops- including a map and a schedule- for the trolley are available at  https://www.visitgranbury.com/trolley/.  There is also a QR code to scan to track the trolley on its route!   

The Transit System is another public transportation option in Somervell and Hood counties.  Their services provide transportation for purposes like health care, shopping, education, public services, and employment.  More information about The Transit System is available at https://www.thetransitsystem.com/. 

Granbury also offers an active transportation option with the Moments-in-Time hike and bike trail.  It runs 2.93 miles from Granbury Airport to Hewlett Park.  The trail has several plaques along it that highlight Granbury historical sites.   You can learn more about the trail at https://www.granbury.org/741/Moments-In-Time-Hike-Bike-Trail. Consider using these alternative transportation options and make another clean air choice! 

National Drive Electric Week has been a fall campaign of Plug in America, a national nonprofit that promotes the shift to electric vehicles.  For 2025, their campaign became National Drive Electric Month running from September 12- October 12.  DFW Clean Cities participated in the Arts and Autos event in Denton on September 13^th to recognize the fall campaign.  This month’s blog recognizes National Drive Electric Month and focuses on electric vehicles. 

Electric vehicles are a great option to consider when looking for a vehicle to help improve air quality.  There are plug-in hybrid options (PHEV) that offer the flexibility of operating on electricity for a short range, usually around 20-40 miles, before shifting to a regular gas engine.  Full electric options offer ranges of 200-300+ miles on a single charge.  PHEVs produce fewer emissions than internal combustion engines, while full electric vehicles (EVs) produce no tailpipe emissions making both options great clean air choices!  The table below lists some examples of PHEVs and EVs and their respective electric ranges. 

 Source: Alternative Fuels Data Center,  https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/search

While some new electric vehicles may still be more expensive to purchase, they do not have transmissions, fuel pumps, or exhaust systems to be maintained.  They also do not need oil changes and can be charged at home!  The reduced maintenance costs and low-cost home charging make driving an EV a great option economically too! 

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Image from Pixabay.

North Texas is booming. According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), our region has grown by 900,000 people since the 2020 census. In 2024 alone, Fort Worth (up 32,191 residents) and Dallas (up 29,510) led the charge, while fast-growing cities like Celina (15,980) and McKinney (11,310) saw explosive gains.

But with more people comes more trash—and a greater demand for landfills.

The problem? Space is running out. As real estate becomes scarcer, existing landfills are filling at an alarming pace. Cassidy Campbell with NCTCOG warns, “There are only 22 active landfills in our region. At the pace we’re going, they’ll be full in just 35 years. That might sound like a long time, but it’s not—especially considering the tremendous population growth we’re experiencing.”

North Central Texas alone sends 11.8 million tons of trash to landfills each year—nearly 30% of all landfill waste in Texas. That’s about 7.2 pounds of trash per person, per day.

The good news? We can slow the tide through recycling.

Recycling often gets a bad rap as inconvenient, especially when people have to sort materials. But many cities are making it easier. Granbury, for example, partners with Waste Management to offer free curbside recycling for residents—no sorting required. Simply place recyclables in the provided bin and they’ll handle the rest.

In Weatherford, residents currently pay a small recycling fee, but the city is exploring more cost-effective programs that could eventually make recycling free there, too.

Want to make a difference? Contact your city’s utility department or visit your trash provider’s website for recycling details. Population growth in North Texas isn’t slowing down—but with community-wide commitment, recycling can reduce landfill use and protect valuable land for the future.

Summer is here along with the higher electric bills!  By taking steps to increase energy efficiency at home, you can save money and do something to improve air quality!  Reducing energy use means fewer power plant emissions that contribute to ozone air pollution formation.  Some of the things that you can do to increase energy efficiency are to:

• use LED lighting
• turn off lights and appliances when they are not being used
• check insulation levels in your home  
• seal air leaks around windows and doors
• change air filters when needed
• use a smart thermostat to control temperature settings
• look for energy efficient appliances when appliances need to be replaced 

Some of the local electric cooperatives offer home energy audits for members that can help identify places where energy savings can be found.  United Cooperative Services offers free energy audits for residential and business members.  They also offer member rebates on some energy-efficiency projects.  For more information about these opportunities, visit https://ucs.net/energy-audits or https://ucs.net/rebate-programs.  Tri-County Electric Cooperative offers residential energy audits at a cost of $150 for their members.  They also offer rebates for energy efficiency projects.  More information about these programs are at https://tcectexas.com/audit and https://tcectexas.com/energy-efficiency-rebates.  

Taking steps towards energy efficiency leads to cost savings, energy savings, and cleaner air!

For Release: June 26, 2025

The Hood County Clean Air Coalition (HCCAC) received a major boost from three governmental agencies in the past 10 days as the Coalition continues its fight to keep Hood County out of an ozone non-attainment designation.

Michelle McKenzie, the Air Quality Program Manager, and HCCAC Board Chairman Mark Franco spoke to both the Granbury City Council on Tuesday, June 17 and the Hood County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, June 24. The pair was seeking funding for the Coalition’s efforts and presented a status report on the ongoing monitoring project.

Granbury City Council approved a budget increase of $5,000 for the City of Granbury’s support for HCCAC, which now totals $30,000 for fiscal year 2026. However, the city’s budget must be adopted in September for the increase to take effect.

Meantime, the Hood County Commissioners approved (by a 5-0 vote) an increase of $5,000 (for total funding of $30,000 for the year) in support of the Clean Air Coalition. HCCAC board member Chuck Licata joined McKenzie and Franco at the podium for the meeting.

Earlier this month, the City of Cresson increased its annual funding by $500, for a total annual donation of $3,000.

The Clean Air Coalition is overseeing two projects funded by an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Granbury and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). One is a monitoring project, conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, including four monitors installed at locations in Hood County around the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulatory monitor located in the County Annex parking lot, with another monitor installed to the south in Somervell County.

About HCCAC: HCCAC serves air quality planning for Hood County to address ozone air pollution in the county with a nine-member board that includes representatives of Hood County, the cities of Granbury and Cresson, and local businesses and citizens of Hood County. More information about HCCAC can be found on the coalition’s web site, www.hccleanair.org.

Idling a vehicle refers to leaving the engine running when the car is not moving.  Some idling is unavoidable, but some idling is unnecessary.  While idling in traffic and other scenarios is necessary, reducing unnecessary idling helps improve air quality because idling uses more fuel and produces more emissions than stopping and restarting the vehicle.  Emissions from vehicles, especially heavy-duty vehicles, not only contribute to ozone air pollution formation, but also particulate matter pollution.  The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that up to six billion gallons of fuel are lost annually to idling of heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles, so reducing idling not only reduces emissions that contribute to air pollution, but it also conserves fuel and saves money!  Newer vehicles don’t require idling to reach ideal operating temperatures, so cars and trucks don’t need to be idled in cold weather except to defrost windows.  Newer catalytic converters, which work to reduce emissions, operate more efficiently if the vehicle is driven.  Avoiding long drive-through lines at food places and banks is another opportunity to avoid idling.  Hybrid vehicle options shut off their engines when they aren’t moving and electric vehicles don’t produce tailpipe emissions, so these are also options to reduce idling emissions.  When considering clean air strategies, think about reducing idling to reduce air pollution, while also enjoying fuel and cost savings.  For more information about idle reduction, visit https://www.nctcog.org/trans/quality/air/for-everyone/engine-off-north-texas or  https://afdc.energy.gov/conserve/idle-reduction-basics.

Image from EPA Air Now ( https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/download-images/aqi-logos/aqi_ex3.jpg)

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a color-coded scale that indicates when health impacts may happen based on air quality.  Green or “good” indicates that the air quality poses little or no health risk.  Yellow or “moderate” means air quality is acceptable, but those

who are especially sensitive to air pollution could have health impacts.  Orange or “unhealthy for sensitive groups” air quality will likely impact members of sensitive groups like people with respiratory conditions, older adults, and young children.  Red indicates that the general public may experience health impacts from air quality while sensitive groups may experience more serious issues.  Purple means health impacts have increased for everyone, and maroon reflects a health warning for everyone.  The Air Quality Index applies to air quality for both ozone and particulate matter pollution and is often part of weather forecasting.  You can find the Air Quality Index information on the hccleanair.org website on the home page either on the air quality/ weather banner or Air North Texas’ Arlo’s shell color.   When planning for outdoor activities, you can sign up for air quality forecasts at https://www.airnorthtexas.org.  This ozone season, you can raise your air quality awareness by using the Air Quality Index and knowing your air quality colors.