The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s (PDEQ) Clean Air Program invites the public to join the clean air conversation in the ThisIsCleanAir Challenge. Pima County residents, 16 years of age and older, may submit photos or poetry (in celebration of National Poetry Month) about different designated air quality awareness themes.
The deadline to submit family-friendly entries is Earth Day, April 22. PDEQ will choose the top entries which will then be posted for public vote the week of April 26. The entries with the most votes will win prizes and be posted via social media during the U.S. EPA National Air Quality Awareness Week, May 3-7. A list of prizes and details about the challenge is at www.pima.gov/HealthyAir.
Eligible air quality awareness themes:
• Wildfires and smoke
• Asthma and health
• Citizen science and sensors
• Environmental justice and air quality
• Air quality around the world
“About half the air pollution in Pima County comes from driving motor vehicles,” said Ursula Nelson, Director of PDEQ. “However, there are many ways in which the air can be polluted and National Air Quality Awareness Week is highlighting a handful of themes for us all to consider. We each have the power to make choices that lower pollution levels for healthier air to breathe,” Nelson said. PDEQ also operates 14 air quality monitors throughout eastern Pima County and current air quality data from those monitors are available at www.pima.gov/deq.
PDEQ requests that participants also indicate in the entry form how many vehicle miles they avoid driving in a typical week by telecommuting, taking transit, biking, walking, carpooling, or skipping trips. This data will help determine how many tons of pollution are avoided when citizens drive less.
PDEQ’s #ThisIsCleanAir Challenge has great potential to inspire community-wide actions for keeping the air clean. For more information regarding local air quality and the ThisIsCleanAir Challenge, visit www.pima.gov/HealthyAir.