Commit to Cleaner Air, Day 4 - Penn Station

The Clean Air NY Street Team and Cloud were planning to have a big day walking around New York City, hanging out in Central Park and visiting commuters in Penn Station. Unfortuantely because of the rainy weather, the team was only able to be in Penn Station. The fews hours spent there were very successful though, because the team was able to educate the public about New York's air quality and thank them for taking public transit.

Commit to Cleaner Air, visit http://www.cleanairny.org/commit.

Jessica S. Horne, Clean Air NY Marketing and Outreach Associate.

Commit to Cleaner Air Week, Day 3 – White Plains Transit Center and Northern Westchester Hospital

The Clean Air NY Cloud welcomed train and bus passengers as they departed and arrived at the White Plains Transit Center. Train and bus riders told the Clean Air NY Street Team that their morning commute on mass transit is a stress-free experience. They find themselves reading a good book, listening to their music or just closing their eyes for a relaxing nap. And today, seeing the Clean Air NY Cloud was a special treat as they Committed to Cleaner Air in New York!

The Cloud and Street Team headed to Northern Westchester Hospital, a Clean Air NY Champion to celebrate the week with Cloud Cake and a fun trivia game for the visitors and employees! The Clean Air Cloud visited Northern Westchester Hospital’s VIP parking lot for carpoolers which was full of cars (carpoolers pictured above)! In addition, more than 50 individual partners committed to cleaner air!

If you spotted the cloud, post your picture on Clean Air NY’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93665828983#/event.php?eid=87179364018&ref=tsa!

Jessica S. Horne, Clean Air NY Outreach and Marketing Associate.

Commit to Cleaner Air Week, Day 2 - Subway Ride & Clean Air NY Champion NY Methodist Hospital Event

Day 2 of Commit to Cleaner Air Week -- the Clean Air NY Cloud (who still needs a name - e-mail ideas to info@cleanairny.org) rode the "B" subway from 86th Street and Central Park West downtown and transferred at Rockefeller Center to the "F" train to Park Slope, Brooklyn! A great example of how easy mass transit is!

The Clean Air NY Street Team continued to celebrate Commit to Cleaner Air Week with Clean Air NY Champion New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn! At the hospital Clean Air NY gave out blue colored cotton candy to employees and visitors in honor of Commit to Clean Air Week which was a hit. The Clean Air NY Cloud also visited the children's out patient waiting room where we gave the children coloring books about improving New York’s air quality.

Clean Air NY successfully got almost 100 Methodist employees and visitors to commit to cleaner air!

You should commit to cleaner air too! To learn more about Commit to Cleaner Air Week visit http://www.cleanairny.org/commit.

Jessica S. Horne, Marketing and Outreach Associate of Clean Air NY.

Commit to Cleaner Air Week, Day 1 - NBC's Today Show and Grand Central Terminal

Clean Air NY kicked off Commit to Cleaner Air week outside of The Today Show studios in Rockefeller Center. As the camera spanned the audience outside, millions of viewers, nationally, caught a glimpse of how important it is to improve the air quality in New York State’s downstate region.

After our Today Show spotting, the Clean Air NY Street Team, along with our new Clean Air NY mascot made our way across town – carpooling of course – to Grand Central Terminal (the quintessential hub of New York public transit). At Grand Central, the Clean Air NY Cloud entertained hundreds of people commuting to and from work, while the street team spoke to dozens of people about committing to cleaner air. New Yorkers were interested in learning how to reduce their carbon footprint and Clean Air NY had just the answer! We explained to them that it is as simple as making smart travel choices – carpooling, taking public transit or biking, especially on air quality action days!

Want to learn more about Commit to Cleaner Air Week? Visit http://www.cleanairny.org/commit.

Jessica S. Horne, Marketing and Outreach Associate of Clean Air NY.

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/!

Choosing Travel Options Friendly to Air Quality All the Time

Choosing travel options that are friendly to air quality is about more than our commute to and from work. It includes trips to concerts, Broadway shows, dinners, nightclubs, Yankees or Mets games and other special events.

Speaking of baseball, we recently went to a game at the new Yankee Stadium. A friend asked me where I parked and wasn't it a nightmare? In fact, we took a relaxing train ride and connected with an express subway to the Bronx. It dropped us off right outside the ball park.

All in all, we reduced our driving travel for the evening by more than 70 miles, eliminated the stress of Friday-night-game traffic, avoided the parking hassle and helped improve air quality, all with one simple travel choice.

Frank T. Mongioi is Marketing and Outreach Manager of Clean Air NY.

What Is An Air Quality Action Day?

Air Quality Action Days are announced when air quality is predicted to be in the unhealthy range, in parts or all of the New York metropolitan area. This affects everyone, especially sensitive groups such as those with heart and lung problems or asthma, the elderly and children. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for analyzing air pollution data and forecasts whether air quality will approach or exceed unhealthy levels. Based on these forecasts, the New York State Department of Transportation issues an Air Quality Action Day and Clean Air NY sends an update to our network. On these days, all of us in the New York metro area are asked to make a special effort – such as driving less – to reduce activities that contribute to air pollution.

These are days that are all about making smart travel choices.

Here is a to-do list on an Air Quality Action Day:


* Stay Indoors. Seize the opportunity to catch up on the television programs you recorded, to play board games with your family or to finish that book you started months ago.
Limit Driving. Reschedule your trips and errands to another day, if possible. If you must travel, try to limit driving and engine idling; even better -- don’t drive and work from home.
* Refuel After Dark. Filling your tank in the evening prevents certain pollutants from being emitted that react with sunlight and heat to create ground-level ozone.
* Combine Trips. You 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 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 $500 in total driving costs.1 You’ll not only gain extra money but all the health benefits from walking or biking as you help to reduce air pollution.
*Share a Ride. Whenever possible, share a ride by carpooling or vanpooling to your destination. To find a carpool partner or vanpool, visit 511ny.org.

The forecast for an Air Quality Action Day typically is determined a day ahead of the actual day. Clean Air NY will alert you to an upcoming Air Quality Action Day through an Air Quality Action Day Update. The update will arrive via e-mail or text message with information on how to improve air quality and to avoid air pollution effects on the Action Day.

May usually begins the season for Air Quality Action Days, so be sure to sign up today to receive your updates from Clean Air NY by visiting CleanAirNY.org or text air to 42269. We also suggest that you start trying the travel behaviors we’ve outlined now to be ready when Air Quality Action Days are announced.

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