Clean Air Day 2021 Success!
SCOTLAND has got the air quality message across loud and clear with the most successful Clean Air Day yet.
Schools from Inverness to Dumfries and Galloway, local authorities, NHS boards, private companies, active travel organisations, car share clubs, local authorities, car manufacturers, bus companies, charities and politicians at local and national level were involved in the campaign on June 17th.
The fifth year of the event was again coordinated by Environmental Protection Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. The key message this year was ‘Let’s protect our children’s health from air pollution’ whilst also encouraging people to give up the car, cycle or walk, use less pollute side streets and consider the purchase or an electric vehicle.
EPS attended the launch of school exclusion zones at Ferryden Primary School in Montrose, where pupils read from colouring books. Hundreds of books were given away to support CAD activities in schools.
The Scottish Government Environment Minister Mhairi McAllan provided a personal video message in which she discussed the forthcoming revised Cleaner Air For Scotland strategy. This can be viewed on our YouTube channel. just follow the link.
We want to thank everyone who participated, whether on social media, taking part in schools or pledge card events or speaking out about air pollution to highlight the need to protect the health of children.
We look forward to welcoming you back for Clean Air Day 2022!
CLEAN AIR DAY SCOTLAND ONLINE RESOURCES ARE GO – Now have your chance to improve air quality!
Thursday 17th June was Clean Air Day Scotland
YOU can be involved in Clean Air Day Scotland on Thursday 17th June!
The Scottish resources have gone live after pupils at Sciennes Primary School in Edinburgh launched the campaign and can be downloaded here
All you have to do is register your details to download dozens of free toolkits, resources and opportunities for school pupils to learn about air quality, businesses to cut their emissions, community participation and for health professionals to learn more about air quality – and there’s pledge cards to download and print off to let people know what you are doing to help improve air quality in Scotland.
Additional promotional Clean Air Day Scotland merchandise are available for participants. To find out more email admin@ep-scotland.org.uk
Clean Air Day has established itself as Scotland’s main air quality campaign since 2017.
The campaign in Scotland is coordinated by Environmental Protection Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government and we are working with the overall Clean Air Day coordinators Global Action Plan.
Across Scotland on Thursday 17th June, people are being encouraged to walk or cycle, rather than use the car, particularly on the school run or for other shorter trips to schools and supermarkets. The campaign also encourages people to consider walking or cycling less polluted side streets after research found this could reduce a child’s exposure to air pollution by 30%.
We also want people to consider the purchase of an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) ahead of the ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel cars and vans from 2030.
Launching the toolkits, Lucy Gallagher, Sciennes Primary School’s depute headteacher, said: “As a Unicef Gold Rights Respecting School we are very pleased to continue our support for Clean Air Day to raise awareness of children’s right to good health and to promote active travel. Clean Air Day also ties in with the Sustainable Development Goals to tackle Climate Change – an issue which is extremely important to our young people and brought into even sharper focus with the forthcoming COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh and EPS trustee, Frank Ross, pictured, said: “We’re helping our youngest generations to make journeys by healthy, active travel. This Clean Air Day we’re reaffirming our commitment to tackle air pollution.”
So on Clean Air Day join us and demonstrate our support for action on air pollution and speak out to show how much we care about building a clean air future for our children.
To take part in Clean Air Day Scotland, let us know about your activity you are planning and tweet or post and use the tags #CleanAirDayScot and #CleanAirDay – and tag @EPScotland on Twitter and @ENV.PROT.SCOTLAND on Facebook.
Press and other media interested in getting a quote about Clean Air Day in Scotland should email our Policy and Communications Officer John Bynorth at john.bynorth@ep-scotland.org.uk
LET’S MAKE 2021 THE CLEANEST CLEAN AIR DAY YET!
Environmental Protection Scotland is coordinating the event on behalf of the Scottish Government’s Cleaner Air For Scotland (CAFS) strategy, which aims to make Scotland’s air quality the best in Europe. It is the third year of our involvement in the UK’s biggest air quality campaign.
The national lockdown brought upon us some dramatic short-term air quality improvements as the Scottish Government restrictions forced people to make changes to their daily routines leading to an upsurge in cycling and walking as part of their daily routines.
Homeworking became the ‘new norm’ – and remains so – for many workers with videoconferencing and fewer cars on the roads, especially at peak times, as they stay away from their offices.
The Clean Air Day resources also have information about the many grants available to buy an EV, charge-points and general information about their impact on the environment.
There is plenty of other information in the free resources – which take just a few seconds to download – about other air pollutants. These include those from industrial sites, agriculture, and domestic burning so people are armed with the knowledge to contribute to making Scotland’s air cleaner.
Also outlined are the very simple steps we can all take to help our family avoid poor air quality and cut down on the pollution we emit – it is good for us and good for the planet too! The fact-based resources are approved by leading health experts.
Thursday June 17th is a day of practical action and awareness-raising, so we can all breathe cleaner air.
In October 2020, 140 participating organisations from the Highlands to Ayrshire were involved in the success of Clean Air Day.
Download the toolkits, join in and help make this year’s event the cleanest Clean Air Day!
For inquiries or to let us know about your event email us at admin@ep-scotland.org.uk
Press and other media interested in getting a quote about Clean Air Day in Scotland should email our Policy and Communications Officer John Bynorth at john.bynorth@ep-scotland.org.uk