The Alamo Area Council of Governments’ (AACOG’s) air quality
programs and the City of San Antonio’s Office of Sustainability are hosting
their ninth annual Fresh Air Friday event on April 10th at Main
Plaza, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This fun, free, informative event
draws attention to the beginning of the “ozone season,” the months in which
ground-level ozone pollution tends to spike in our region. Fresh Air
Friday highlights the connection between transportation and air quality, and
encourages people to walk or bike out (rather than drive out) to eat at
lunchtime.
The ozone season stretches from April and October when the
air we breathe is more likely to be unhealthy, due to the heightened levels of
ground-level ozone that are formed when nitrogen oxides (such as those found in
vehicle exhaust) and volatile organic compounds (such as those found in
gasoline fumes) interact in strong sunlight. Walking or biking rather than
driving to lunch is one way that individuals can take an active role in helping
to keep pollution levels down. Active transportation provides exercise
and saves money, too!
Accordingly, downtown employees and visitors are invited to
bring a brown bag lunch or buy lunch on or near Main Plaza, and join AACOG, the
City of San Antonio, the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and over
20 clean air partner organizations on April 10th. While there,
you may visit exhibits and learn about alternative commuting options, potential
improvements to air quality, energy efficiency, sustainability, non-toxic
products, and many other healthy, green topics.
This year, AACOG’s air quality program plans to extend the
action-focused concept of Fresh Air Friday and, each Friday after that kick-off
event on April 10 until the end of the season (October), they will be asking
folks throughout the Alamo area to engage in an activity to help improve our
air—perhaps by parking and going inside a restaurant instead of waiting to
order in a drive-thru lane one Friday, purposefully avoiding peak driving times
on congested roadways the next Friday, taking a brown bag lunch to work the
third Friday, and so on. Their hope is that once people become more
conscious of the possibilities and try some of these activities, they may adopt
a few as habitual.
During May, in support of the MPO’s Walk & Roll Program
and National Bike Month, they will be focusing “Fresh Air Fridays” specifically
on active transportation (asking, for example, that people walk or bike for
trips of a mile or less). Stay tuned for additional information in future
issues of FastTrack.
For more information, visit www.aacog.com/freshair.
