Clean Air Day: Let’s all play our part to reduce pollution

The longest day of the year is just around the corner – which means even more time to fill it with activities to celebrate #cleanairday
We’re delighted to be promoting the initiative on June 21st to help raise awareness of air pollution which kills tens of thousands of people across the UK every year.
And we want people to realise that anyone can play their part, not just on that day – significant though it is – but on every day of every year.
If we all did just one simple thing towards saving energy or cutting emissions, the world would be a much safer place.
So if you’re wondering what YOU could do this #cleanairday – here’s a quick checklist:
• Use the hashtag #cleanairday on your social media posts on June 21st to show your support and raise awareness of the issue
• Leave the car at home and either walk or cycle to work – or work from home
• If you have to drive anywhere, cut the engine when your vehicle’s stationary to cut the emissions
• Opt for a video call with colleagues rather than driving to a face-to-face meeting
• Enjoy the (hopefully) naturally warm weather and don’t light that tempting roaring wood-burning stove which creates a lot of air pollutants
• Switch off the lights when you leave a room
• Only boil the amount of water you actually need in the kettle
• Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher/washing machine
• Open your window when you’re cooking to avoid the build-up of air pollution inside the home
• When you’re cleaning the house, Keep dust levels low, use fragrance-free or naturally-scented products, switch to mild cleaning products and avoid aerosols

Longer term it’s a good idea to make sure you have your car and boiler serviced regularly and recycle your compostables.
And if the ‘green’ environmental impact message doesn’t yet resonate, for whatever reason, why not consider the health implications for you and your families, particularly young children.
“All of the organs in the body seem to be affected in some way by breathing in air pollution,” says Professor Frank Kelly, Director of the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London.
• Air pollution increases the risk of getting lung cancer, and contributes to about 1 in 13 cases.
• Being exposed to air pollution for a long time is bad for your heart and blood vessels. It is linked to a number of cardiovascular diseases in adults, such as furring of the arteries.
• Air pollution may increase the risk of bladder cancer.
• Air pollution increases the risk of death from cardiac and respiratory causes, especially among people with pre-existing cardiac or respiratory conditions.
• Air pollution leads to more visits to A&E and hospital admissions.
• Air pollution may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide) – a common air pollutant – causes coughs and phlegm in adults.

We believe this day of action, organised by charity Global Action Plan, is worthy of support. We’ll do our bit to support it – and build on it moving forward in our business and personal lives. What will you do this #cleanairday?