More smog forecast for Tuesday as sun cooks tailpipe emissions

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

More sunshine, more smog.

Another "code orange" day is being forecast for metro Atlanta on Tuesday by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

That means air pollution, including ground-level ozone, will be bad enough that children and the ill should avoid exercising outdoors later in the day.

Sunlight cooks tailpipe emissions and other compounds into smog. It builds up as the day progresses.

So far this year, the level of air pollution has exceeded federal standards on 15 days -- one more than last year.

A string of several smoggy days was broken recently by rainy weather, but the departure of the clouds has brought the dangerous air back.

Groups such as the Clean Air Campaign encourage people to reduce vehicle trips and encourage employers to support working from home.

Gov. Sonny Perdue teamed up with the group to declare this "Telework" week.

Shaw Industries, a major carpet manufacturer based in Dalton, started letting some of its 25,000 employees telecommute in 2007 and has seen an increase in productivity as a result.

So far, about 150 to 170 technology and administrative employees do it a few days a week, said Paul Richard, a vice president for human resources.

"We just think it's the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint," Richard said. It also means employees with long commutes -- some drive from south of Atlanta to the company's campus in North Georgia -- spend more time working and less on the highway.

"If you have folks who are productive and engaged, those are the best candidates for it," Richard said. "We would encourage other companies to at least take a hard look at it. Our experience has been good."

According to the latest research from the Center for Transportation and the Environment, commissioned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, nearly 500,000 commuters in metro Atlanta telework on an occasional basis, but another 350,000 commuters believe their job responsibilities would allow them to telework, if they had employer support.