Back in June 2019, many thousands of people took part in Clean Air Day, which is an event organised by the charity, Global Action Plan. Global Action Plan are experts in helping people live more sustainable lives, and are dedicated to creating a green and thriving planet.
There were 614 Clean Air Day events, which around 400,000 people took part in. The key objectives of such were:
- Prove that communities with cleaner air are better places to live, work and play
- Help people to make practical changes that reduce air pollution now
- Convince more people to join the quest for clean air
- Push for more action from the powerful
Clean Air Day – At a Glance:
- 250 official supporter organisations and 3,700 participating organisations came together to act on air pollution.
- Business leaders used the day to make major announcements, showing the impact of previous Clean Air Days.
- Media coverage included live interviews on Sky and BBC radio, articles in the Times and Daily Express and a raft of local stories. Online, print, broadcast and social media coverage provided more than one billion opportunities to view and learn about air pollution.
- #CleanAirDay trending on social media provided 381 million opportunities for people to view and learn about air pollution.
- Over 2,000 news and broadcast items carried Clean Air Day stories with an equivalent advertising value of £11 million.
- 3,800 Clean Air Day toolkits were downloaded, helping people to cut air pollution through activities such as public pledges, walking school buses, competitions and no-idling events.
- Clean Air Day Awards include: National Air Quality Awards 2017 WINNER PR Moment 2019 WINNER Business Green Leaders Awards 2019 WINNER.
- 400,000 people experienced cleaner air at over 600 events, ranging from school street closures and cycle commuting to traffic-free city centres and street parties.
- The vast majority of the public think air pollution should be a UK priority, and those who have heard of Clean Air Day are more likely to have taken action, giving politicians a clear mandate for change.
Key Findings from Clean Air Day:
It drives change – By increasing public knowledge of pollution means people are more aware of the issues and the potential and current solutions too.
It fuels the air pollution movement – With more and more people and businesses coming together to become advocates of reducing air pollution.
Clean Air Day helps people experience cleaner air first hand – During Clean Air Day in June 2019, 57 roads were closed. There was also an impressive number of street parties, which took place that got people out of the house, allowing them to enjoy the peace and quiet of roads with no traffic on. Experiencing this was a great motivator to take action on pollution.
Clean Air Day gives an opportunity to test new air pollution measures – For example Clean Air Day 2018 in Edinburgh, they tested out a complete pedestrianisation of part of the city, which now has become a full time arrangement.
It puts pressure on the government and key businesses – From applying for funding for green initiatives to committing to carbon neutral status, both businesses and the government are helping drive change following Clean Air Day.
Every action we take, no matter how small helps improve the air we breathe – This in itself is a great motivator. If we all do a bit, as seen on Clean Air Day, it will all add up to something rather impressive.
Clean Air Day 2020:
Clean Air Day this year is scheduled to take place on 18th June. You can learn more about Clean Air Day at cleanairday.org.uk
A Few Things The stove and fire industry are doing to make cleaner air:
Launching Ecodesign Ready Stoves. In 2022 all stoves sold will need to be Ecodesign Ready. All the stoves in the Charlton & Jenrick range are already Ecodesign Ready, and have been since 2018. Ecodesign Ready stoves are significantly cleaner than old stoves and open fires. Learn more about Ecodesign and pollution here.
Woodsure Ready to Burn. Ready to Burn is an initiative from Woodsure, which helps the public become aware of the importance of burning correctly seasoned wood. Essentially burning correctly seasoned wood can make a huge difference to the emissions from a stove, which in turn has a significant bearing on air pollution. You burn unseasoned wood, your unnecessarily polluting the air. Learn more about Woodsure Ready to Burn here.
Hydrogen Fires – The gas industry in general are looking at blending hydrogen into the gas supply at a rate of 20% hydrogen currently, which it’s been reported could save 6 million tonnes of carbon a year in the UK. As a company we are actively involved in Hy4Heat, which is a government study, which looks at hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas. The use of hydrogen in gas fires is something we are already working towards with our fires. Learn more about this here.
