Mark Your Calendar
Following are a list of upcoming clean air/green-oriented events that you'll want to add to your calendar. You may even consider hosting some fun incentive-based promotions at your company to coincide with one of these events.
March 9....Spring registration begins for Citizens for Modern Transit's Ten Toe Express program, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the South County YMCA
April 6....St. Louis County voters have the opportunity to vote on Proposition A
April 10 & 11....2nd annual Eco Expo, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the St. Louis Science Center
April 16....Citizens for Modern Transit hosts its final Ten Toe Express registration event, 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Shepherd's Center of Webster/Kirkwood
April 22....Earth Day Festival at Southwestern Illinois College, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
April 25....St. Louis Earth Day Festival, 11:00 a.m. tp 6:00 p.m. in Forest Park
May 14....Clean Air Festival, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis.
May 21....National Bike to Work Day
June 5....National Trails Day
June 17....Dump the Pump Day
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Mark your calendar - 7th annual Clean Air Festival set for May 14th
The Partnership will kick off the 2010 summer air quality forecasting season with its 7th annual Clean Air Festival at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis on May 14th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. As in years past, the event is expected to attract more than 1,000 attendees and will feature live music, prize giveaways, complimentary Ted Drewes frozen custard and a variety of clean-air themed information booths designed to help individuals get involved in improving the region's air quality.
If your worksite is downtown, please share the date with your co-workers so they can make plans to attend. We'd love to see you there!
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The Partnership launches Facebook and Twitter pages
The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership is now on Facebook and Twitter!  Our journey into social media represents a new and exciting way to further engage and unite the St. Louis community in the clean air effort. This summer, we'll be using our Facebook and Twitter pages to bring you the daily air quality forecast. But, year-round, we'll be using social media to deliver the latest air quality-related news and information, to share tips for ways you can do your share for cleaner air and to keep you updated on green events going on around town. We also want our Facebook page to serve as a forum where the community can go to discuss issues and topics related to air quality. Our goal is to acquire 1,000 Facebook fans before the start of the air quality forecasting season on May 14, so be sure to visit our page and become a fan and encourage your friends to do the same. To access the page, just log on to the Facebook site and type "St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership" into the search bar or click here. Once you've had a chance to check out our page, we'd greatly appreciate your feedback on what we can do to improve or enhance it. We also hope you'll visit our Twitter page and sign up today to follow us. Thanks for your support! |
County voters get a second chance to secure transit service in the region
On April 6, voters in St. Louis County will have the opportunity to cast their ballots in favor of Proposition A, a half-cent sales tax increase that, if passed, will generate approximately $75 million an nually for Metro's operations and expansion. As witnessed by the deep transit cuts that resulted following the failure of Proposition M in November 2008, this sales tax increase is critical for preserving the level of service that Metro can provide.
Without the passage of Proposition A this spring, Metro will face another budget shortfall that will once again force the agency to increase fares and drastically reduce service, meaning area residents hoping to connect with major employment, health and entertainment centers in the region will have very limited transit access. Without Metro, our air quality also suffers because less transit service results in more cars on our roads and more emissions being released into our atmosphere.
Proposition A would cost the average St. Louis County family just four dollars a month, but its value in terms of maintaining the vitality of our region is priceless. With transit also playing such a critical role in the fight to improve the region's air quality, we encourage you to head out and cast your ballot in support of Proposition A on April 6. And be sure to spread the word to your friends and family members living in St. Louis County. Working together, we can help preserve the future of transit in the St. Louis region.
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2009 air quality survey demonstrates steady awareness of air quality issues
Last fall, ALA and The Partnership once again commissioned an independent research firm to conduct a survey on public awareness of regional air quality issues. Carried out via interviews of residents from eight counties in the bi-state area, the survey asked for individuals' opinions on a variety of air quality-related topics, including awareness of poor air quality days, knowledge and sources of air quality information and methods of improving air quality.
The study indicated that overall awareness of air quality issues continues to remain steady at around 70 percent. According to the survey, familiarity with daily air quality information also remained steady during the year, but The Partnership was pleased to learn that over 77 percent of respondents noted they were always, usually or sometimes aware when a red or orange air quality day is declared in the region.
With regards to air pollution conditions in the St. Louis area, just 9.7 percent of respondents indicated that they felt air pollution in the region had gotten worse over the last few years. This number has continued to decline steadily since 1999, when nearly 39 percent of area residents noted that they felt air pollution in our region had gotten worse. In addition, 23.6 percent of respondents surveyed in 2009 noted that they actually felt air pollution conditions in the region have gotten better over the past several years, which marked the highest percentage of respondents providing that response in a decade.
This year's survey also indicated changes in the primary ways area residents are learning about daily air quality information. While the majority of respondents report that they still get their air quality information on television (over 60 percent), that number is down nearly 14 percent from 2006. In contrast, the number of individuals who are receiving air quality information on the internet continues to increase, climbing approximately five percent since 2006. The survey also demonstrated decreases in the use of radio and newspapers for obtaining air quality information.
As always, The Partnership will also utilize the survey results to guide our efforts for the 2010 season and pinpoint areas where additional outreach work can be done. Our hope is to keep people and businesses in the region engaged in the air quality effort and willing to do their part to help clear the air.
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The Partnership teams up with EPA to provide forecasts through EnviroFlash
This summer, individuals in search of the latest air quality information will have to look no further than their e-mail inboxes. Through a special joint venture with the Environmental Protection Agency, The Partnership will now be able to provide area residents with access to the EPA's EnviroFlash e-mail air quality alert system.
EnviroFlash is a system developed by the EPA that gives subscribers the chance to register online to receive daily e-mail alerts about the local Air Quality Index (AQI), along with suggested safety measures for days when air quality levels are predicted to be unhealthy.
This spring, residents in the St. Louis area will be able to log on to The Partnership's website at www.cleanair-stlouis.com and click on the EnviroFlash link to sign up for the service. EnviroFlash is a convenient and reliable way to stay informed about air quality conditions, and we encourage you to take advantage of this unique service and hope you'll help spread the word about EnviroFlash to your friends and colleagues.
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Clean Air Partnership to take part in 2nd annual
Eco Expo
For the second year in a row, the St. Louis Science Center will play host to the Eco Expo. Set for April 10th and 11th, the special event, sponsored by Emmis Communications, is designed to educate area residents on the many ways they can live, work and play in a way that's friendly to the environment.
This year's expo aims to build on the success of the 2009 event by featuring more than 60 interactive exhibits located both inside and outside the Science Center. Each exhibit will be sponsored by local companies and organizations that specialize in or offer sustainable or ecological products and services. Highlights will include entertaining and informative breakout sessions hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden and Earthways Center on topics ranging from the benefits of using cloth diapers to wildlife and the eco-system. Special performances by the Radio Disney Street Team will also show youngsters how they can do their part to go green.
The Partnership will once again be among those working to spread its message during the event. We will team up with Emmis Communications for a series of radio ads promoting the event that feature clean air tips. The Partnership will also have clean air tips on display at each floor section, which will highlight the clean air benefits of everything from recycling and water conservation to eating organic foods and choosing green fashions. In addition, The Partnership will provide complementary reusable grocery bags to event attendees.
Admission to the Eco Expo is free. Additional information on the event is available at www.ecolifestl.com. This should be another great event, and we encourage you to make plans to attend.
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Study points to environmental benefits of white roofs
As the battle against global warming rages on, a new study indicates that white roofs may play a key role in combating its effects and improving the overall quality of the air we breathe.
The study from Geophysical Research Letters notes that painting urban rooftops white could help cool cities and our planet because of their ability to reflect incoming solar rays back to space. The findings are based on the work of a research team, which used a computer model to simulate the amount of solar radiation absorbed or reflected by urban surfaces. The model simulations suggest that, if every roof was painted entirely while, the urban heat island effect could be reduced by nearly a third, meaning the world's cities would cool by an average of about 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Research also indicates that white roofs have the power to cool temperatures inside buildings, helping to reduce the demand for air conditioning, save energy and reduce emissions from burning coal used to produce electricity. With fewer emissions being released into the air, the environment benefits from cleaner air overall. Fewer emissions from burning coal also help curb the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, which are responsible for the Earth's warming.
Because factors such as the location of the city, the density of roofs and a building's construction can all affect how much cooling can occur, research on this topic continues. However, the white roof movement is one that The Partnership will be watching closely, and we will keep you posted regarding the latest findings on this topic.
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We need your input!
As we continue our work to improve the air quality in the St. Louis region, we remain on the lookout for new partners to join us in our efforts. If you have friends or colleagues at companies or organizations that you think would be interested in serving as Clean Air Coordinators or Employee Transportation Coordinators, please ask them to call (314) 645-5505, ext. 1007 or send an e-mail to sfuchs@breathehealthy.org for information on how they can get involved.
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