Kids Should Learn About Clean Air, Too – They’re the Drivers of the Future!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/livable-streets-education-anti-idling-rap-new-york-city-video.php?dcitc=th_rss

A few days ago, I came across this video. A Park Slope, Brooklyn, middle school documented what the students learned from a unit their teacher did on transportation and air pollution. I shared it with my Clean Air NY colleagues and we can’t get enough of it!

Here are the top five reasons this is a great video, and a great project:

5) The kids were able to express what they learned creatively. Some sang, some danced and others drew. By combining what they learned with their interests, they made the project more interesting and more memorable.

4) They worked to spread the word. Beyond producing this video and simply keeping it, they were able to get it onto a popular blog, Treehugger. This teaches them at an early age that when you have an important message, you need to spread the word!

3) The climate change journal is a great idea. Requiring the kids to monitor the air quality each day allows them to really notice when the air quality is poor. They’ll most likely to continue noting the quality of the air each day, simply by habit. You can stay current on air quality with our widget, located on our Web site.

2) This project was very hands-on. Instead of being told that idling releases carbon pollution into the air, they measured the pollution. Instead of being told that typical vehicle occupancy is one person, they did a survey and found out for themselves.

1) Kids don’t learn enough about the negative effect vehicles can have on air quality. Because they can’t drive yet, we assume that we don’t need to teach them. I think if people are taught clean-air actions early, they are more likely to incorporate them into their daily lives. It’s a lot easier to start off with good habits than it is to change bad ones. These students are likely to remember what they have learned from this video project once they begin driving. They know now to carpool when possible, to stop idling, etc. Hopefully, these actions will be incorporated automatically into their driving habits.

All you teachers and parents – take a lesson from this lesson. Make sure your kids know about transportation and air pollution. They are, after all, the drivers of the future.

Amanda Moss, Clean Air NY Outreach Coordinator.

Get Some Relief from the Heat of High Gas Prices and Clean Our Air of Excess Pollutants: Dive into Carpooling!

Finally, summer has embraced New York's metro area! It's time for family picnics in parks, outdoor parties, relaxing in hammocks, sports and other exercise outdoors. During the warm summer days, we feel good to be outside and filling our lungs with some fresh air. However, New York's air needs to be healthier.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York's downstate region does not meet federal standards for air quality. As indicated by EPA tests, the air has harmful pollutants, a risk not only to sensitive groups, such as people with asthma or emphysema, but to those without health problems. Studies have also shown that pollutants can aggravate symptoms in people with pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure.

The increasing numbers of people with respiratory problems signal that something is stirring in our air, even if some people do not think there are harmful effects.

Our cars are major contributors to air pollution. Most people believe that a single car is not going to make a difference, so they choose to drive by themselves. But each car that is on the road is releasing pollutants, and too many cars equal air pollution. How do we solve this problem? By jumping into something that some New Yorkers may be wary of - carpooling.

If more of us carpooled to work or to our summer activities, we'd experience some great benefits - fuel bills would be cut; there would be less wear and tear on our cars; there would be fewer cars on the road and, thus, less traffic; passengers would catch up on reading, e-mails or shut-eye; and our air would be healthier.

Some might think the idea of carpooling and not being in control of our own transit would feel like a nuisance. We might fear being at work, far from home and needing to get back home in case of an emergency and having no transportation. That is why your local transportation management association (TMA) offers a guaranteed ride home program that allows employees paid rides in the event that their transportation from work is unavailable. For more information, visit your appropriate TMA's Web site:

• MetroPool for commuters traveling within the Lower Hudson River Valley.
• CommuterLink for commuters traveling in and to New York City.
  
• Long Island Transportation Management (LITM) for commuters traveling in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.
  

These organizations also help commuters enter the carpooling system, linking people who want to carpool with others in their area. To find a carpool partner or vanpool in your area, visit www.511ny.org.

When comparing carpooling to driving alone, carpooling is the more environmentally friendly option. High-occupancy vehicle lanes on some major highways allow passenger cars with at least two people to travel amid less congestion. Some people may love the comfort of their own cars for various reasons, but try stepping away from your comfort zone and carpool for the greater good.

Take some relief from the heat of high gas prices and clean up the air that we breathe - it's time to dive into carpooling!

Guest blog by Jessica Wade, Clean Air NY/MetroPool summer intern.

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.

Commit to Cleaner Air Week, June 15-19

Monday, June 15 kicks off "Commit to Cleaner Air" Week-- Spot the Cloud mascot, post your photo on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=87179364018, e-mail name suggestions for our mascot to info@cleanairny.org, or post it on Facebook for a chance to win FREE Metrocards! http://www.cleanairny.org/commit.

Check back throughout the week for more updates!

Clean Air NY Launches Our Clean Air NY Mascot

Clean Air NY launched our new mascot at the American Lung Association Asthma Walk in Battery Park City on Saturday, May 30. Over the next three weeks our mascot will be on a road trip around the NY Downstate Region - Lower Hudson Valley, Long Island and New York City. Check Clean Air NY's events page on our website (http://www.cleanairny.org/WhatIsCANY/LatestNews.aspx) to track the mascot's road trip. If you spot the mascot, take a picture of it or with it and upload it to the Clean Air NY Facebook Events Page (http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/event.php?eid=87179364018) by choosing to attend the event and then click the Add Photos link to upload your pictures and enter to win a free Metrocard.

And there is one more thing... we need your help, OUR MASCOT NEEDS A NAME! Help Clean Air NY name our mascot by entering the "Name the Clean Air NY Mascot" contest. E-mail your mascot name ideas to info@CleanAirNY.org. If your name is picked by the New York State Department of Transportation, you will win a free public transportation pass around the NY metro area!

To learn more about Clean Air NY or to sign up to receive real-time Air Quality Action Day Updates visit http://www.cleanairny.org/!

What is the Relationship Between Climate, Weather, Air Quality and Health?

Monday, March 23rd was World Meteorological Day, and the theme was the relationship between climate, weather, air quality and health. In response, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization put out a warning that about two million people die prematurely every year due to air pollution. The World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General says "For the air quality, what we are talking about is not only the sort of traditional pollutants as you could imagine them," he noted. "But, it is also many of the gases, which are the greenhouse gases that are also influencing the quality of the air when they are abundant in the lower atmosphere." To read more, please visit: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-23-voa19.cfm.

Clean Air NY is an initiative sponsored by the NY State Department of Transportation in support of regionwide air quality efforts. Clean Air NY’s network of individuals and businesses believes that every person has the power to help make New York’s air healthier and protect our community from the effects of climate change. In an effort to reduce vehicle miles traveled, Clean Air NY educates the public on simple changes to everyday travel choices and provides real-time updates on Air Quality Action Days via text messaging, e-mail and media notifications. To learn more, visit CleanAirNY.org.

Ozone Pollution Amplifies Risk of Fatal Respiratory Illnesses

A study was recently released by the New England Journal of Medicine showing the deadly effects of long-term exposure to ozone pollution. The study followed almost 450,000 Americans in 96 metropolitan areas and results showed that exposure to ozone pollution increases deaths from respiratory diseases.

In the USA Today Article below, Ms. Janice Nolen, Assistant Vice President of National Policy and Advocacy for the American Lung Association, was quoted as saying “the study shows yet another way that air pollution can harm public health.”

This further strengthens the importance of public service initiatives such as Clean Air NY. Sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation, Clean Air NY is a network of individuals, employers, employees, and community organizations in the New York metro area committed to the idea that every person can take part in making our air cleaner and healthier.

Some of the actions that Clean Air NY is taking include:

* Sending real-time Air Quality Action Day updates via text messages and e-mail notifications on days when air quality is forecasted to be in the unhealthy range.

* Working with employers, community groups, universities, and the general public to promote alternative travel behaviors such as taking mass transit, trip chaining, carpooling, bicycling and walking, especially on Air Quality Action Days.

* Partnering with local transportation management associations and organizations to help New Yorkers find alternative, "greener" transportation options - including a free carpool matching service

For a copy of the full USA Today article, check out:

Ozone Pollution Amplifies Risk of Fatal Respiratory Illnesses
By Liz Szabo, USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-11-ozone-illness_N.htm

For a copy of the New England Journal of Medicine abstract, check out:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/360/11/1085

New York City Strengthens Anti-Idling Laws

Last month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed legislation reducing the amount of time that vehicles can idle near schools and expanding the city's enforcement of idling laws. Under the new law, which does not apply to emergency service vehicles, the legal idling time is reduced from three minutes to one minute. The law also encourages greater public awareness by requiring that applicants for licenses to operate for–hire vehicles demonstrate their knowledge of idling laws.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund's August 2008 report Idling Gets You Nowhere, idling cars and trucks in New York City annually produce 760 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides, the equivalent of 3,000 large trucks each driving one million miles. They also produce 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. Citywide, idling also wastes on average 14,000 gallons of gasoline and 11,000 gallons of diesel each day.

Debunking 5 Myths about Idling

1. Idling does not warm up the engine efficiently or effectively.
2. Although idling powers heating and cooling systems, it creates harmful in–cabin pollution.
3. Idling does not reduce engine and ignition starter wear compared with restarting.
4. Restarting the engine does not require more fuel if the vehicle will be stopped for more than ten seconds.
5. Running the engine will not avoid a ticket by creating the appearance that the driver is not parked or will return shortly – it is still a violation of New York City and State law.

To sign up for real-time Air Quality Action Day updates, text AIR to 42269 or visit www.cleanairny.org

Clean Air NY is sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation in support of regionwide air-quality efforts.

Telecommuter Appreciation Week

The American Telecommuting Association (ATA) has declared this week, March 1 - March 7, 2009, “Telecommuter Appreciation Week,” honoring Alexander Graham Bell, whose birthday is March 3.

Clean Air NY is celebrating “Telecommuter Appreciation Week” by saluting all the telecommuters in the New York metro area. Since their only commute is from room to room, they are improving New York’s air quality by reducing vehicle miles traveled.

The ATA listed the three main benefits of telecommuting. Clean Air NY especially appreciates #3:

1. The individual and family benefit from saved time, lower commuting expenses, reduced stress, more scheduling flexibility, greater satisfaction regarding work and the pleasure in spending more time together.
2. The employer benefits from greater productivity, loyalty and job satisfaction, a stronger focus on job performance, better recruiting and longer retention of the most productive employees and reduced overhead and facility expenses.
3. Society as a whole benefits from reduced traffic congestion, minimized air pollution, lower requirements for (and strain on) transportation infrastructure and decreased demand for scarce and nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels.

CA, Inc. of Islandia, NY, one of the world's largest IT management software providers based in New York, recently implemented its “Flexible Workplace Program.” Long Island Transportation Management Inc. (LITM) assisted CA in establishing this program, which enables qualified employees to forego commuting to work and allows them to work from home. Clean Air NY recognized CA’s telecommuting initiative and honored it as a 2008 Clean Air NY Champion. CA's Joe Archila, vice president of human resources programs, said, “We feel strongly about offering our employees air quality-friendly and healthy commute options. It not only helps to improve our air quality, but it also helps our company attract and retain top talent while enhancing productivity.”

Andrea Vera, operations manager of CommuterLink offered this advice: “Telecommuting is not suitable to every job, person or situation. The decision has to be mutually agreed upon between the employer and employee, the job has to be conducive to working remotely and the home office must have the appropriate equipment (computer, phone, fax, printer, copier, etc.)” Check out the telecommute section of CommuterLink’s Web site for more telecommuting tips.

Another suggestion? A company could allow telecommuting specifically on air quality action days, when ground-level ozone levels are at their highest. On those days, it is crucial to drive less to avoid worsening the already poor air quality. To find out more about air quality action days and to receive updates when they occur, please visit CleanAirNY.org.

If you would like to use the momentum of Telecommute Appreciation Week to establish a telecommute program at your company or would like to propose this idea to your human resources department, please reference MetroPool’s telecommute resources.

For more information on telecommuting in:

· Long Island, contact LITM.
· Lower Hudson Valley, contact MetroPool.
· New York City, contact CommuterLink.

Happy Telecommuter Appreciation Week!

Jessica Horne is Marketing and Outreach Associate of Clean Air NY.

Where in New York has Clean Air NY been spreading the word?

Despite the cold outside, we can still do our part to clean our air! During January and February, Clean Air NY has promoted smart travel choices that everyone can make to improve New York’s air quality. We’ve been carpooling or taking public transit (always practicing what we preach – see page 3 of Clean Air Connections) to events, meetings and presentations all over the New York metro area.

Since air quality affects everyone, Clean Air NY’s outreach is aimed at educating all sectors of society. We’ve been really busy doing just that! The following activity highlights will show what Clean Air NY has been up to in these past several weeks:

· January 23 – Attended the Queens Green Business Summit. After speaking with representatives from various Queens-based businesses, we learned many people are choosing smarter, greener ways to commute, but more outreach is needed. Therefore, we signed up 25 companies and 30 individuals to join the Clean Air NY Network. These environmentally conscious businesses have committed to assist Clean Air NY in telling their co-workers, friends and family members that simple changes in their commuting habits can improve our air quality.

· January 28 – Presented to the Riverhead Town Energy Advisory Committee. They were intrigued to learn during our “We Can All Make a Difference” presentation that driving one mile in your car releases the equivalent of a one-pound brick of carbon dioxide into the air and it takes one tree one month to turn that one-pound brick of carbon dioxide into oxygen.

· January 31 – Attended the Bedford Environmental Summit (where we saw journalist Bob Woodruff and actor Chevy Chase!). We told many of the 1,000 attendees to avoid topping off their gas tanks because that simple act would improve their air quality. To learn more simple steps to achieve cleaner air, check out Clean Air NY: Everyday Choices Make a Difference.

· February 4 – Participated in four area colleges’ National Teach-In on Global Warming; they included Bard College, Marist College, Purchase College and Queens College. Roger Drew, New York Public Interest Research Group Project Coordinator at Purchase College, said: "The participation of Clean Air NY and MetroPool really enhanced our Sustainability Fair. The Fair was part of the National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions and Clean Air NY and MetroPool's presence allowed dozens of students to stop by and learn about steps they can take to lead a more environmentally sustainable life by making smart travel choices."

· February 17 – Presented at the Rockland Business Association’s (RBA) Green Council Meeting. Clean Air NY launched our Clean Air NY Champion initiative to dozens of businesses in Rockland County. More about the Clean Air NY Champion initiative is here.

These activities resulted in 250 new individuals and 50 new businesses joining the Clean Air NY Network. So can you! To join the Clean Air NY Network and to receive real-time air-quality action day updates, visit CleanAirNY.org or text AIR to 42269.

Clean Air NY Jumps Into 2009 With Web 2.0

It’s an ever-changing world on the Internet with new social media technologies coming online every day. In late 2008, Clean Air NY took the plunge into Web 2.0, and we now have several ways for you to interact with us, including pages on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.

• Facebook: Become a fan of our Clean Air NY group and share us with your friends, discuss your favorite tips for cleaner, healthier air in New York and find out if it’s an Air Quality Action Day.


• YouTube: Visit our Clean Air NY channel to listen to our radio ads and watch our 30-second video clip that aired on Good Morning America, as well as other videos on green topics.


• Clean Air NY Blog: If you’re reading this, you’ve already found our blog. We’ll be posting regularly with the latest news, tips and information from Clean Air NY.


• Twitter: Follow Clean Air NY on Twitter and receive tweets from us when there’s an Air Quality Action Day.


• Flickr: See pictures of events attended by our Clean Air NY Outreach Team.

These platforms will provide you with lots of ways to get information from us on simple changes that you can make to improve New York’s air quality and reduce driving. They’ll also give you more ways to find out if the air quality in the New York metro area is forecast to be unhealthy.

In addition, we will be launching several new features on the Clean Air NY Web site this year. Here are just a few of the improvements:

• Improved site organization.
• New searh functionality.
• Links to our blog and other social networking sites.
• Daily tips on reducing vehicle miles and related topics.
• Updates on Clean Air NY events.
• Widgets to download to your desktop.

Now, why are you still sitting there looking at this blog?!? Click on any of the links above to get more involved with Clean Air NY today!

Still Time to Make Green NY’s Resolutions

If you’re anything like me, then by now you may have already broken some of your New Year’s resolutions. That’s OK; it happens to the best of us. Just remind yourself that nearly an entire year still lies ahead of you, so there’s plenty of time to renew your resolutions or think of new ones that are easier to follow. If you do this, it’s the perfect time to combine your traditional resolutions with ways to be a little greener in 2009.

That’s what I’m doing. I first found some helpful tips on various Web sites, including U.S. News and World Report’s “Fresh Greens” blog—Green New Year's Resolutions: Transportation. I then used these tips to put a green spin on my original resolutions. Here are my redefined resolutions, which are hopefully going to make me a better person in 2009 and make New York a cleaner, greener place!

• Lose weight. I will walk and/or bike around town more. Using these modes of transportation will not only burn calories during my commute but also help the environment by taking a car off the road.

• Save money. I will purchase a monthly MetroCard and promise to take the bus or subway whenever possible rather than spending money on a taxi cab.
• Spend more time with family. I will see my family more this year. To get more quality time with my sister (who lives across town), I’ve decided that when we venture across the river to see our parents in the ‘burbs, we should carpool. We can spend time together and improve New York's air quality.

• Use my time wisely. I’ll start planning ahead to get things done more efficiently. This means that when I use a Zipcar, I’ll combine all of my errands into one trip. I can save on car-sharing fees and reduce pollution.

• Meet new people. If all else fails and I can’t ride my bike, walk or take the subway, bus or carpool, I will try to use rideamigos.com. I can share a taxi with fellow New Yorkers and meet new people.

As you can see, my 2009 New Year’s Resolutions will help me and the environment. And, if you need any more incentive to follow through on your resolutions, take a look at this recent article in The Washington Post, which says that cleaner air can lead to a longer life.

So what can you do to spruce up or renew your New Year’s resolutions to make them easier to follow and a bit greener?

Jessica Horne, a Clean Air NY marketing associate, lives and breathes in New York.

Clean Air NY: Everyday Choices Make a Difference

Here are some simple steps to achieve cleaner air:

Combine Trips. This is one of the easiest choices and can save time while you are improving the air. Instead of going home after work and then back out to the gym or to the grocery store, plan ahead and combine your errands into one sensible trip, even on the weekends.

Bike, Walk or Use Public Transit. Forgoing your car just one day a week for a year could save about 1,000 miles on the vehicle and more than $500 in total driving costs. Just think of what you could do with that extra money, not to mention the health benefits of walking or biking.

Share a Ride. Whenever possible, share a ride by carpooling or vanpooling to your destination. To find a carpool partner or vanpool, visit nycommute.org.

Maintain Your Car. Take care of your car by following the suggested maintenance schedule, keeping the tires properly inflated. A well-maintained vehicle not only preserves your investment, it also produces 20 percent less ozone-related emissions, saves money on gas, and means less traffic congestion due to breakdowns.

Avoid Topping Off Your Tank. When filling your car with gas, avoid topping off the tank.

Cut Back On Idling. Whenever possible, avoid idling your car. For example, go into a fast-food restaurant to pick up food rather than waiting in the drive-through lane

Don't Be So Cool. At home, set your air conditioner at 78 degrees when it's warm outside to conserve energy.

Use Safe Products. Read product labels and be sure to purchase and use environmentally safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible. This limits the amount of unhealthy vapor in the air.

Spread the Word. The more people who know about Clean Air NY, the more steps will be taken to improve air quality and the health of all New Yorkers.

To receive FREE real-time Air Quality Action Day updates, text AIR to 42269 or sign up at http://www.CleanAirNY.org today.