Environmental Quality Branch

CLEAN AIR DAY

Clean Air Day in B.C. and Canada
June 4, 2008!

If we don’t take care of the atmosphere, who will? Individual action to protect the air and reduce greenhouse gases is the focus of Clean Air Day, on the first Wednesday in June every year. Clean Air Day started out as a provincial event, in 1992, but has since become a national day. It is marked by other provinces, as well.

Visit these national websites to find out about Clean Air Day in your community and Environment Week.

Visit the AQHI website often to see how the new index and health information can help you make decisions on your outdoor activities.

A Teacher's Guide to Clean Air  explains the key air quality issues and how we can become involved in protecting the air. A "Clean Air Crusaders" poster is also available, to stand alone or support the teacher's guide.

The Winged Wonder

Clean Air Day is intended to encourage people to make clean air choices — not just on Clean Air Day, but as lifelong habits. B.C. and Canada face several serious air quality and environmental issues. These include smog, fine particulates, ozone depletion and global climate change.

Global climate change is one of the most significant, wide-reaching environmental challenges the world has ever faced. The major contributors to climate change are emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from many human-made sources — notably motor vehicles.

Although industrial emissions are a major cause of air pollution, so are the emissions we produce in our everyday life. For example, the Commuter Challenge website points out that cycling (instead of driving) 10 kilometres per week for eight months prevents 50 kg of air pollution. And did you know that the engine in a gas-powered lawn mower produces eight times the pollution that a car engine does?

The Green Protector

Another surprising fact: If every Canadian home replaced one regular incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR®-qualified compact fluorescent bulb, the reduction in potential GHG emissions would be equivalent to taking 66,000 cars off the road. (From the One-Tonne Challenge website.)

Each one of us plays a part in polluting the air. The good news is we can play an important role in decreasing emissions. Visit Clean Air Day in British Columbia and Clean Air Day across Canada to learn about the issues and the solutions.

Start your new clean-air lifestyle today!

Captain Air