Clean Air NY at City of Water Day on Governor’s Island

Clean Air NY stepped outside the usual confines of New York City for an event on Governor’s Island a few weeks ago. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, City of Water Day celebrated the beauty and possibilities of New York City’s shoreline. Waterfront groups, green organizations and over 10,000 attendees enjoyed a gorgeous day of sun, water and environmental education. The event gave New Yorkers a chance to join in some waterfront protection initiatives and provided valuable opportunities for environmental groups to collaborate.

Clean Air NY spoke to hundreds of individuals about our program and how they could get involved. In addition to working with CommuterLink to provide mass transit directions and biking maps, Clean Air NY shared green tips and health information with people who stopped by. Attendees were eager to learn how to improve our air, and many of the families we met hoped to protect their children from high ozone levels on Air Quality Action Days.
A day spent on Governor’s Island really illuminated the beautiful waterfront that surrounds New York City. Time spent at City of Water Day highlighted the potential of our environment and the many ways we can interact with it. What better way to inspire New Yorkers to protect the outdoors and the air we breathe?

For more information on City of Water Day or the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, visit http://www.waterfrontalliance.org/.

To learn more about how you can improve New York’s air quality, see some tips at http://www.cleanairny.org/.

Sarah Tansey, Clean Air NY/CommuterLink summer intern.

Your Clean Air Actions Can Help Increase the IQ of New York Children…

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/20/health/main5173842.shtml

Today, an interesting – and disheartening – study was released by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health. The study followed 249 pregnant New York City women and tracked the quality of the air they would breathe each day through a backpack air quality monitor. Five years later, their children were given an IQ test. The study showed that the children of mothers who were exposed to a higher level of air pollution scored significantly lower than those whose mothers were exposed to less air pollution.

Don’t worry – according to Dr. Michael Msall, a pediatrician with the University of Chicago, the study doesn’t mean that children exposed to air pollution "aren't going to learn to read and write and spell."

However, while the study may not mean that poor air quality = low IQ, it does show that it is most likely an influence of some kind.

The study points to vehicle exhaust as the primary source of the air pollution that the pregnant mothers were exposed to. This just reiterates the importance of our simple, everyday clean air actions.

It seems that we can add pregnant mothers to the list of groups that are most at-risk to the negative effects of poor air quality (already on the list: children, teens, senior citizens, people with pre-existing cardiovascular or respiratory issues, diabetes, or other chronic health problems). These groups should be most careful on Air Quality Action Days, and try and stay indoors whenever possible.

What else can we do? Next time you go to a fast food restaurant, go inside instead of idling your car in the drive-thru window. Take the train instead of driving. Carpool with a friend whenever you can – you’ll get to use the HOV lane and you’ll cut back on vehicle exhaust emissions.

These actions – as we now know – can help all New Yorkers – even the ones who haven’t been born yet!

Amanda Moss, Clean Air NY Marketing and Outreach Coordinator.

Combine Errands – Combat Air Pollution and Climate Change

There are many terms related to “going green” that some people may not understand. However, saving energy is one concept we all comprehend, not just power or fuel, but your own personal energy.

One way to conserve your own energy is to combine your errands into one car trip. At first glance, this may seem obvious, but it is something that we often neglect to do.
For example, in the past – prior to starting my internship with Clean Air NY – if I had errands to do after work, my exhaustion would get the best of me; since I was ready to get out of my work clothes and high heels and into my yoga sweats, I would bypass the supermarket, the bank and gas station and just head home. Having a car, I could do that. Sound familiar?

It is easy to get caught up in a convenient lifestyle we can enjoy. But it takes just a little extra effort to make those conscious decisions, like holding off on swapping your stilettos for your favorite flip-flops so you can complete a few errands before driving home.

The message at the very heart of Clean Air NY’s mission is that there are little things we can do in our everyday life that do not cost an arm and a leg and that, in fact, will help you save money, time and energy. By combining errands, Clean Air NY’s simplest and most popular call to action, you also can help reduce the harmful effects of climate change. (See picture above of Clean Air NY's bus ad that are running throughout the NY downstate region).

It’s so important to make smart travel choices because the emissions from millions of cars in New York affect you, your family and friends. We should all be concerned about the estimated 370,000 children (NYS Department of Health Asthma Surveillance Summary report, 2005) who can’t breathe properly on Air Quality Action Days because the air quality in the New York metro area is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Be smart, plan ahead and combine your errands into one car trip. That’s what I’ve started to do after learning the benefits from Clean Air NY.

To find out more about simple changes to your driving habits that can help reduce the harmful effects of climate change, visit CleanAirNY.org.

Guest Blogger: Thea Charles, Clean Air NY/MetroPool summer intern.