PRESS RELEASE
Amanda Wilson
Whitney Vandiver
(Arlington, Texas) – It is important to work toward better air quality every day, especially in Dallas-Fort Worth, which remains in nonattainment for ozone pollution. But for one day each year, the effort intensifies.
Clean Air Action Day is June 21. What is CAAD? This is a day when Air North Texas asks residents to pledge to do simple things in their everyday lives to improve air quality.
This year’s celebration will feature events at locations throughout the region. For example, the City of Dallas will sponsor events at Paul Quinn College and City Hall that highlight choices people can make to facilitate better air quality. Alternative fuel vehicles and their benefits will be a focus at City Hall. At Paul Quinn College, gardening and urban architecture will be highlighted. Denton County Transportation Authority plans a social media takeover and blog post to encourage people to think about their role in improving the region’s air.
The festivities will also get started before CAAD. The City of Denton will host a Clean Air Action Day/Air North Texas booth at its Thursday Twilight Tunes concert on June 20. Cedar Valley College and the Dallas County Community College District will plan a bike day in June to provide students a way to directly participate in the effort to lessen ozone pollution.
There are many ways to personally become part of the solution throughout the year. Examples include bicycling or walking to work, telecommuting, packing lunch in a reusable bag, buying locally grown foods, and taking public transit.
CAAD was created to educate the public on air quality measures. Since its inception, it has helped people improve air quality by incorporating a few simple steps into their routines. The hope is to reduce the number of high-ozone days in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and protect people’s health. Ultimately, Air North Texas could help Dallas-Fort Worth reach attainment of the federal government’s ozone regulations.
CAAD can motivate the public to think about air quality throughout the year, not just on the first Friday of summer. Make it a habit to think about how to make air quality better every day in multiple ways. A good first step in the fight for better air quality is signing up for air pollution alerts at www.airnorthtexas.org/signup. You will be notified when ozone levels are predicted to be unhealthy, so you can take extra precautions and limit actions that hurt air quality.
Visit www.airnorthtexas.org/howto for information on programs that can help you continue improving air quality in your daily life. It is easy to get started. Select the actions you plan to take to make a difference in improving air quality at www.airnorthtexas.org/cleanairactionday. Then show us and others what you have done by posting on social media, using #CAAD2019 and tagging @NCTCOGtrans.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments encourages you to log your alternative commutes at www.TryParkingIt.com on June 21 and every day. Simply create an account and enter your commute method. Creating a Try Parking It account and logging your commutes is even one of the Clean Air Action Day options.
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.
NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. Currently, NCTCOG has 238 member governments including 16 counties, 170 cities, 24 school districts and 30 special districts. For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit www.nctcog.org/trans.
About Air North Texas:
Air North Texas is a regional air quality partnership and general public outreach effort. Air North Texas leverages existing resources and program strengths to offer the public a comprehensive resource for air quality information. Collaborative efforts focus on reducing harmful emissions, protecting public health and welfare, motivating residents to make choices that improve air quality and preserving the economic vitality of the region. Learn more at www.airnorthtexas.org.
# # #