The Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership will host free kite flying and an information booth as part of the Venture Outdoors Festival in Point State Park, May 21 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Pittsburgh..
The Flight for Clean Air kicks off the ground-level ozone season and helps to bring awareness of air quality issues. The Partnership, made up of business, government and environmental groups, works to educate residents about air quality and calls for Air Quality Action Days when air pollutant levels are elevated.
“We believe that working to protect air quality is good citizenship,” said Partnership Chair Harilal Patel. “We encourage residents to learn about and take simple actions on Air Quality Action Days to improve our area’s air quality.”
The Partnership relies on air quality forecasting performed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which uses the national Air Quality Index. The Index uses color codes to designate the level of pollutant for the day.
Red on the Air Quality Index means an unhealthy day when everyone should limit outdoor activities. Orange indicates the air is unhealthy for outdoor activities. Yellow means sensitive people should limit outdoor activities. Green indicates good air quality with no health impacts expected.
The Partnership asks residents to take voluntary actions on Air Quality Action Days. These voluntary actions include:
-- Postpone mowing your lawn with gas-powered mowers until evening.
-- Refuel your car after dark and keep your car tuned-up.
-- Skip the charcoal lighter fluid when grilling. Use a charcoal chimney or propane.
-- Conserve energy by turning thermostats up a notch or two and turn off unnecessary lights.
More Air Quality Action tips are available on the Partnership website. Information about the Venture Outdoors Festival is available online.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment