The City of Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) is encouraging the public to be aware of air quality alerts and find ways to cut down on air pollution as part of Air Quality Action Days.
The program, which runs through September, is designed to raise awareness of the health and environmental dangers associated with ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, commonly referred to as smog.
T&ES is encouraging community members to take the time to understand the Air Quality Index (AQI) and its codes, and to sign up for daily air quality notifications on the City’s Air Quality website.
By signing up for Air Quality Action Day alerts, T&ES says that participants will receive a notification by 4:00 p.m. the day before an Air Quality Code Red Day. A Code Red Day indicates that air pollution concentrations are unhealthy for the general population, and precautions should be taken, including limiting the time spent outdoors.
The AQI codes range from green (good, 0-50 value) to maroon (hazardous, 301 or higher value) according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s measure of air quality.
Small steps from everyone can have an impact on air quality, according to T&ES. The City encourages residents to help improve and protect air quality by taking voluntary actions when at or above a Code Orange Day is forecasted, including:
- Replace driving with walking, biking, or using mass transit
- Avoid mowing lawns with gas-powered mowers
- Avoid the use of aerosol products
- Avoid idling unnecessarily and refuel cars after 7:00 pm
- Spread the word and alert neighbors and community members about the day’s air quality warning.
Find more information about Air Quality Action Days on the City’s Outdoor Air Quality webpage. There, also find details on how to sign up for the EnviroFlash program and receive daily notices from the Clean Air Partners.
