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In honor of Earth Day (April 22), take a few minutes to evaluate your child’s environment. A few simple changes can make a world of difference.

Here are seven steps you can take both inside and outside your home to protect your children and improve their environmental health:

Inside the Home

With kids spending increasing amounts of time indoors, it’s important that your home is both child and environmentally friendly. Here are five ways to help achieve this.

1. Don’t smoke inside your house, and don’t allow other people to either.
2. Wash all produce in running water before your child eats it. This simple act can reduce your child’s exposure to pesticides.
3. Always place pesticides and harmful chemicals out of your child’s reach.
4. Check your chimney. A clogged heating system can allow dangerous carbon monoxide to build in your home.
5. Have your home tested for lead, especially if you live in a home built before 1978.

Outside the Home

According to the American Lung Association, as many as 47 percent of Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone, a gas found in the Earth’s atmosphere — even Denver suffers from this problem. Along with elevated ozone concentrations, particle pollutants such as smoke and dust add to America’s air pollution. Here are two things you can do.

1. Check the air quality index by visiting www.airnow.gov. Young children should stay indoors when the air quality is poor, as their respiratory systems are still developing, making them more susceptible to inhaling pollutants into their lungs.
2. Work to improve air quality in your area by making small changes such as carpooling, limiting your use of gas-powered equipment and planting trees.