Air Quality Awareness Week Celebrates Progress, Acknowledges Future Challenges

(ATLANTA – April 26, 2012) The Clean Air Campaign and Governor Nathan Deal will kick off Air Quality Awareness Week on April 30 to educate Georgians about meaningful actions to reduce air pollution for better health. Throughout the week, the nonprofit organization is working with schools statewide to incorporate clean air lesson plans into classroom activities. Georgia employers are also encouraged to observe the week by offering carpool, vanpool, transit, telework, bicycle and walking options to employees as a solution to improve air quality.

Outdoor air quality is improving in Georgia, thanks to a combination of regulatory controls managed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and voluntary programs like those offered through The Clean Air Campaign. However, continued population growth has put more demand on energy use and more cars on the roads, which means there’s still work to do. Plus, the onset of warmer temperatures, combined with low humidity and stagnant conditions, creates ideal conditions for smog in Georgia. The Clean Air Campaign suggests taking advantage of commute alternatives and choosing other activities such as reducing unnecessary engine idling to reduce air pollution.

“Air Quality Awareness Week is a reminder that small actions can make an immediate, positive impact on the air we all breathe,” said Tedra Cheatham, executive director of The Clean Air Campaign. “Commuters, employers and schools all play a role in this issue because in many areas of Georgia, half of smog-forming emissions come from vehicle tailpipes.”

The Georgia EPD measures air pollution throughout the state and issues daily air quality forecasts for Atlanta, Columbus and Macon. The Air Quality Index, a national air standard rating system developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, provides the public, on an hourly basis, with an analysis of air pollution levels and possible related health risks. The AQI categories are: Good (green), Moderate (yellow), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange), Unhealthy (red) or Very Unhealthy (purple).

Exposure to ground-level ozone can irritate and inflame the airways, creating a sensation that can feel like sunburn on a person’s lungs, and particle pollution poses risks to the cardiac system. Because poor air quality has been linked to a variety of health hazards for children, the elderly, asthmatics and even healthy adults, The Clean Air Campaign distributes Smog Alerts via email when the next day’s air quality is projected by the EPD to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange). More than 20,000 Georgians have registered to receive Smog Alerts.

In addition to earning financial incentives for clean commuting through Commuter Rewards, commuters can also take part in a unique competition that awards prizes for helping spread the word about the importance of clean air. During Air Quality Awareness Week, The Clean Air Campaign will host a “Caption for Cleaner Air” Facebook contest in order to encourage participation in commute alternatives. Beginning April 30, participants can submit photo captions for various images such as cars in traffic, smog in the air and commuters riding transit. Winners will receive prizes that have been donated from a variety of sponsors, including High Country Outfitters, Patagonia, Fifth Group Restaurants and Atkins Park Tavern.

For more on air quality, visit CleanAirCampaign.org. For exclusive information throughout Air Quality Awareness Week, follow @CleanAirGa on Twitter and find The Clean Air Campaign on Facebook at Facebook.com/CleanAirCampaign.

About The Clean Air Campaign
The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization that works with more than 1,600 Georgia employers, tens of thousands of commuters and more than 300 K-12 schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. In conducting these programs, The Clean Air Campaign works in partnership with The Georgia Department of Transportation.

The Clean Air Campaign, along with partner organizations, creates customized commute options programs for employers; provides assistance and financial incentives to commuters that enable the use of commute alternatives; and empowers students, parents and teachers to play a positive role in reducing traffic and improving air quality through an action-oriented school program. The Clean Air Campaign also protects public health by distributing Smog Alert notifications.
Each day, these programs reduce 1.4 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 700 tons of pollution out of the air we breathe. For more information, call 1-877-CLEANAIR (1-877-253-2624) or visit CleanAirCampaign.org.

Cookerly Public Relations
3424 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30326

Mike Rieman
mrieman@cookerly.com
(404) 816-2037

This release was published on openPR.