Care About Your Air: Air Quality In The Parks

FEBRUARY 2, 2018 BY: MAUREEN OLINZOCK

Have you noticed a colorful, triangular flag at the Frick Environmental Center recently?

With our new Air Quality Flag, we join over one thousand registered organizations across the country in communicating local air quality to our community. Learn more about what each colored flag means here.

Daily, we'll use differently colored flags to tell park users when their air is healthy, or when sensitive groups (older adults, children, those with lung disease) may experience adverse health effects. Starting on February 8th, the flag will be flying regularly and will coincide with these multi-month air quality events:

CARE ABOUT YOUR AIR: HOW TO IMPROVE INDOOR AIR | FEBRUARY 8

Stop by to see the air quality flag before this free workshop. At this event, we welcome our partners from the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS) for an informative discussion about air quality concerns in our region, the impacts of outdoor air on inside air, and what we can do to improve the air we breathe indoors. Parks Conservancy staff will share their own air quality monitoring efforts over the last year, including participation in a ROCIS low-cost monitoring cohort.

After the workshop you can find out more how to sign up for a cohort yourself, and be on your way to knowing the air you breathe in a very visual way!
>> Find event details and registration here.

MARCH FORTH AIR QUALITY HIKE | MARCH 4

As the weather breaks, we’ll march forth into Frick Park with GASP and dive deeper into the air quality conversation. Late winter is a great time to take in vantage points that are hidden when there are leaves on the trees, so we’ll use the opportunity to hike to a place where we can see a major source of air pollution and talk about industry regulations. Learn how you can protect yourself from air pollution while doing outdoor activities you love.
>> Find event details and registration here.

WISDOM OF THE WOODS AIR QUALITY HIKE |APRIL 7

With spring in the air, we’ll hit the trails for another free hike to learn how to identify natural indicators of air quality. As we hike, search, and discover, we’ll discuss how individual observations like ours can collectively contribute to a growing body of scientific knowledge – often referred to as “citizen science.” Want to continue to participate in citizen science after the hike? We'll show you how to download the free iNaturalist app and jump into the upcoming City Nature Challenge.
>> Find event details and registration here.

Lichen are an indicator of an area's air quality. Photo by apium on Flickr.

SUSTAINABLE SIPPING - HEALTHY AIR | MAY 11

The last of our air quality events in partnership with GASP and ROCIS will be at the first Sustainable Sipping event of the season. This 21+ ticketed event combines a presentation and hands-on component with food, drink, music, and mingling. Of course, we’ll be talking about air quality, too! In this relaxed, informal setting, meet new people and share what you’ve discovered over the last few months or just relax and reward yourself for learning so much.
>> Find event details and registration here.