https://www.coloradoboulevard.net/seven-ways-you-can-help-support-clean-air-day/
Next week hundreds of students from schools across Altadena will take steps to remind the community of the health and environmental benefits of travel propelled solely (pun intended) by the power of their feet.
In honor of California Clean Air Day and National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day, hundreds of students, parents, school administrators, and community leaders will walk or bike to school on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
Starting on Oct. 2, students from nine schools will walk from several hubs, including: Loma Alta Park, Farnsworth Park, Seventh Day Adventist Center, and the Altadena Main Library. They will gather with classmates at the hub closest to their school and walk a predetermined route with the California Highway Patrol on-site to support neighborhood safety, directing traffic as needed.
Altadena Town Council Members Dorothy Wong, Kim Yu, Milissa Marona, Isis Moulden, ViEyvette Stewart-Gordon, and Nic Arnzen, along with Savannah Moore and Anish Saraiya from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office, will attend. Representatives from AltadenaWILD, South Coast AQMD (Air Quality Management District), and the LA County Department of Public Works will distribute materials about the importance of clean air at the Main Library hub.
The Altadena Library District invites students to drop by the children’s area in the Main Library the week prior to the event to make their own signs for the walk.
“We’re thrilled at our community’s continued interest in California Clean Air-Walk to School Day,” said Dorothy Wong, Council Member whose census tract includes Loma Alta Park. “Last year’s walk was a lot of fun. The kids were excited and smiling. And with nine schools participating, it’s clear our residents want to walk to school, and the more we walk, the less we drive, which is better for everyone. Active transportation also helps us build stronger connections with our neighbors.”
In addition to building community, Walk to School Day events are designed to raise awareness of:
- the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling
- pedestrian safety and traffic congestion
- the importance of improving community health and wellness by getting kids to move more
- concern for the environment.
While students will be walking to school, the committee invites everyone in Altadena, resident to retailer, to participate by taking the Clean Air Day Pledge at http://www.cleanairday.org/.
The Altadena events were organized by the Altadena Town Council Traffic Safety & Mobility Committee, AltadenaWILD, Plant Material, and the Altadena Library District, in collaboration with the California Clean Air Coalition.
About Walk to School Day
Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day was established in the United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. Canada and Great Britain already had walk to school programs in place. In 2000, these three countries joined together to create International Walk to School Day.
In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school. The organization serves as the coordinating agency for walk & bike to school activities in the United States.
Organizations supporting International Walk to School Day in the United States include America Walks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highway Administration, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
About Clean Air Day
In 2023, Californians took 125,000 actions to “clear the air,” more than 330 companies/organizations engaged employees and communities for this purpose, and 22 transit agencies provided free rides on busses, trains, and bike share programs.
California Clean Air Day is built on the idea that shared experiences unite people to action to improve our community health. By joining together for a unified day of action, we can create new habits to clear the air for all members of California’s diverse communities. California Clean Air Day is a project of the Coalition for Clean Air.
Ways You Can Help Support Clean Air Day
- Walk, bike, scoot, or take public transit to work or work from home for the day.
- Bring your lunch to work or walk to lunch.
- Eat vegan or vegetarian for the day.
- Shop with local businesses or farmers.
- Plant a community or home garden.
- Switch to electric or hand-powered yard tools.
- Lead a Clean Air Pledge Drive in your community.
- Take the Clean Air Pledge at www.cleanairday.org.