Cyclovia Tucson - Sunday, April 5, 2020
Dust off your walking shoes and pump up the bike tires! Cyclovia Tucson, the car-free and care-free fun in the streets event will be held on Sunday, April 5, 2020, from 9am-3pm. The yet-to-be-determined route will allow you to enjoy car-free streets for walking, biking, playing and all out fun! Music, dancing, food and smiles a-plenty! Visit our PDEQ booth along the route.
PDEQ Clean Air Program co-sponsors Cyclovia Tucson in partnership with Living Streets Alliance and others because this free event encourages walking, biking, skating, skipping, skateboarding, and any other non-motorized means of movement to improve our health and reduce vehicle emissions in our community.
Take the "Drive-Less Pledge for Healthy Air"
Did you know that driving our motor vehicles is the single largest source of air pollution in Pima County?
The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Clean Air
Program is hoping that you will take a pledge to drive less to help keep our air healthy and for a chance to win a $100 gift card. The good news is you don’t have to put your car up on blocks -- by skipping a trip just once a week you can single-handedly save over 1,000 pound of air pollution in a year. Learn more about the "Healthy Air Is In Our Hands" campaign and take the "Drive-Less" pledge before June 15, 2020, to be eligible to win.
Tucson Earth Day Festival - Saturday, April 18, 2020
50th Anniversary of Earth Day!
The freeTucson Earth Day Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, April 18th at the Tucson Children's Museum at 200 S. 6th Avenue from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. This year is the 50th anniversary of the official Earth Day celebration to honor and take care of the amazing planet Earth.
Attendees will enjoy free museum entry with a child, as well as live entertainment, eco-themed exhibitors and activity booths, bike decorating, free bike valet parking, food trucks, and lots of fun.
PDEQ helps to plan, organize, and sponsor the annual Earth Day Festival with the Children's Museum Tucson and many other local organizations and businesses to celebrate Southern Arizona's unique environment and promote an environmentally sustainable and healthy community.
"Cut Down Pollution"
Lawn & Garden Equipment Emission Reduction Program
To reduce pollution created by gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment, PDEQ, in partnership with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, has launched the "Cut Down Pollution" Program. The program provides vouchers to Pima County residents and businesses that turn in pre-approved gas powered lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment for recycling. In exchange for retiring higher polluting gas landscaping equipment, a resident can receive up to $400 in vouchers towards the purchase of zero-emitting equipment.
Commercial gas-powered mowers, used for hours a day by those in the landscaping business, can be retired for vouchers worth $200 towards electric or battery powered lawn mowers. Other equipment such as gas-powered leaf blowers, string trimmers, chain saws, edgers, etc. can be retired for vouchers worth $50 towards the purchase of zero emitting landscaping equipment. The vouchers can be used at any Home Depot store in Pima County.
Click for details and to apply for the program. Healthy Air Is In Our Hands!
Bike Fest Tucson
April was the perfect month to be outside riding your bike in the Old Pueblo. Bike
Fest – the region’s month-long celebration of “life on two wheels” – provided dozens of diverse opportunities to enjoy riding a bike for utility, for fun, to socialize, to keep the air healthy, and to enjoy springtime here in the Sonoran desert. Bike Fest is a program of Living Streets Alliance and is co-sponsored by Pima County Department of Environmental Quality's Clean Air Program, the City of Tucson, among other organizations and businesses.
Tire Inflation Education Program
PDEQ launched an educational campaign called "Pump Up Your MPG" to educate the community about the importance of keeping tires properly inflated to save resources and improve the environment. Pima Association of Governments' Clean Cities Program and the City of Tucson Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development provided some funding assistance for the program. A survey done after the successful campaign indicated that the number of people keeping their tires properly inflated tripled from the previous year's survey! Proper tire inflation saves gasoline, increases driving safety, reduces vehicle emissions, and keeps tires lasting longer. Check your tires once a month. Healthy Air Is In Our Hands!