If everybody emulated Ed King and his wife, Rhonda, we'd all breathe easier, fill up less and save money.
Their "big car" is a Mini Cooper, which gets about 37 miles per gallon on the highway.
It's a maxi compared to their 2008 Smart car, an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle small enough to park sideways -- bumper to curb -- on crowded streets.
But King, a firefighter, uses something even smaller and more economical for the 18-mile commute to and from a northwest Fresno firehouse -- an electrically assisted bicycle. It takes him about 30 minutes each way.
"Ninety percent of my trips are on a bike," King says. "My car will sit for days at a time. Other than hearing about the rise in the cost of gasoline, I'm not even touched by it."
King, 54, admits that he is extraordinarily committed to the environment: "At some point, if you're going to talk the talk, then you have to ride the bike." And, unlike many folks, he can shower and change into work clothes after riding to work.
The point is, all of us can help clean our dirty and dangerous air. In fact, we have to, or things will get worse as our numbers grow.
Some folks can't be bothered, leaving it to the regulators to place the yoke on the other guys -- manufacturers, refiners, farmers and builders. Others mean well and think about doing something, but actually set the bar too high and give up. It needn't be hard. Count your weekly car trips then decide how many you can realistically cut. Pledge to reduce your trips by that number. You might want to write it down and stick it on the refrigerator.
Fulfilling the pledge -- even it it's one less trip a week -- whittles away at the 1 million miles driven daily in the San Joaquin Valley, an estimate provided by the California Air Resources Board.
Putting 1 million miles a day into perspective: it's the equivalent of two round trips from the earth to the moon.
How can you cut the miles?
Walk to the market and hardware store for small items. Ride or walk with the kids to school instead of driving them. Ride to the gym, thus cutting time on the cardio machines. Car pool to lunch. Take the bus. Remember: you don't have to give up your car, just meet your goal.
"Using a bike for one trip out of 10 can really make a dent in a lot of problems," King says. "Everything from pollution to the price of gas to congestion on the streets."
You also can help the air without cutting vehicle trips. Replace a leaky water heater with a new efficient one. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. On hot days, park in the shade when possible, reducing fuel evaporation and ozone-forming emissions.
But driving less will help your wallet, heart and lungs. King, who hadn't been on a bike in 20 years before taking up the cause, dropped 40 pounds, putting him just a few pounds over his old Bullard High School football playing weight.
"When Rhonda rides with me through the neighborhood, she always comments what a different experience it is," King says. "There's no cell phone, radio or air conditioning. You hear the birds singing and see the houses up close. You notice all the little things you miss in a car."
King is so dedicated that he rides to the golf course, carrying his clubs in a trailer attached to the bike.
Now, that's crazy. But you don't have to be. Make it easy on yourself. Promise to drive a little less and stick with it.
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