Simple Steps Better Air

It's World Bicycle Day!

June is also Colorado Bike Month, with Denver BikeFest on June 13th, and Way to Go Bike to Work Day on June 24th!

https://denverbikefest.app/
https://www.drcog.org/bike-to-work-day

Whether you’re new to getting around by bike, or it’s just been a while since being in the saddle, it’s a fun way to avoid traffic and reduce emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone formation, our most pressing air pollution issue in the summer. Plus, e-bikes have made commuting by bike more accessible than ever!

Out latest blog covers what you need to know about planning your routes, repairs, rebates, and rules of the road:

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/six-tips-for-biking-around-the-front-range-this-summer/

Curious as to why summer ozone is such a big deal in the Front Range?

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, neighbor, or local leader, the Simple Steps. Better Air. website has an easy-to-read FAQ page that’s perfect for learning and sharing with your community to stay informed and healthy during ozone season.

Why this matters for our communities:

Ozone forms on hot, sunny days, exactly when kids are playing and people are exercising. And, ozone can make it harder for people with asthma or lung conditions to breathe. But small changes daily from many people can reduce emissions that contribute to ozone pollution!

Help spread awareness in your community, for better air that supports a healthier future for everyone.

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/faq/

Colorado’s air quality affects all of us! The Simple Steps. Better Air. Resource Hub makes it easy to get involved in your local community and take action with posters, handouts, toolkits, and real-time air quality information from CDPHE, Love My Air, and EPA AirNow.

It also offers a full set of Spanish-language resources, including air-quality advisories, EPA guidelines, and community materials from GreenLatinos and Cultivando. Ensuring that everyone has access to clear, reliable information.

También ofrece un conjunto completo de recursos en español, incluyendo avisos de calidad del aire, directrices de la EPA y materiales comunitarios de GreenLatinos y Cultivando.

Explore our resource library, share it with your community, and help make every breath a little easier:

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/resources/

The easiest way to avoid breathing in higher levels of ground-level ozone in the summer is to stay inside, and close windows and doors.

Your home or office acts like a shield to the ozone molecule (O3), which will react with the building walls and be unable to make it inside. While some of the ingredients for ozone can make their way indoors – as no building is completely airtight – ozone has a much harder time forming indoors because windows filter out the ultraviolet (UV) light it needs to kick off its chemical reaction.

But what then? Allergens, smoke, and airborne viruses can all find their way inside and build up indoors, degrading the quality of your indoor air.

Read our blog to learn why staying indoors helps with ozone, and how to freshen up your indoor air with some improved air filtration.

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/how-to-improve-your-indoor-air-quality/

How to improve your indoor air quality - Simple Steps. Better Air. To avoid breathing in unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone or wildfire smoke in Colorado, sometimes the best choice is to stay indoors. But what then?

Signing up for text or email alerts from Simple Steps. Better Air. makes it easy to know when it matters most to reduce your emissions and protect your health!

Between late May and mid-September, Simple Steps. Better Air. and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) issue ground-level ozone advisories in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

Known as “Ozone Action Day Alerts,” these advisories forecast the days most likely to have higher ozone concentrations and negatively affect our health. The alerts last between 4 p.m. of the first day, until midnight, or until 4 p.m. of the following day. They can be extended for multiple days if needed.

Sign up online or text "21000" to BetterAirCO
https://simplestepsbetterair.org/sign-up/

Updates to our Simple Steps. Better Air. website have made it easier than ever to share air quality tips with others!

Click through our Simple Steps about protecting your health or reducing your emissions during the summer ozone season. You’ll find all kinds of tips, like how working from home can help, how to get 30% off new electric lawn equipment this year, and why filling up your car after 5 p.m. really does matter.

Show you care and share your favorite tip with a friend!

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/simple-steps/

Simple Steps Better Air - Simple Steps. Better Air. Discover easy ways to improve air quality along Colorado's Front Range, protect your health, and sign up for summer ozone alerts.

Ground-level ozone is the Colorado Front Range’s most pressing air pollution problem! It forms when fossil fuel emissions combine on hot, sunny summer days.

At higher concentrations, breathing in ground-level ozone irritates our throats and lungs, increases our susceptibility to respiratory infections, and exacerbates ailments such as asthma.

Between late May and mid-September, Simple Steps. Better Air. and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) issue ground-level ozone advisories in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

Known as “Ozone Action Day Alerts,” these advisories forecast the days most likely to have higher ozone concentrations and negatively affect our health. The alerts last between 4 p.m. of the first day, until midnight, or until 4 p.m. of the following day. They can be extended for multiple days if needed.

Signing up for text or email alerts from Simple Steps. Better Air. makes it easy to know when it matters most to protect your health!

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/protect-your-health/

Turn your key, be idle free!

On World Asthma Day, it’s important to highlight how air pollution, especially from idling vehicles, harms children’s health. Children breathe in twice as much air per pound of body weight than adults.

Vehicle emissions can easily pe*****te lung membranes, and these pollutants are linked to asthma, impaired lung development, increased allergies, and long-term risks like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Poor air quality is also tied to increased school absences and hospital visits, making clean air essential for children’s health and development.

As we approach the warmer summer months of ground-level ozone season, take the simple step to protect children’s health and turn your engine off when idling your vehicle for more than 10 seconds. Learn more at enginesoff.org/schools.

When wildfire smoke is in the air, it is important to take its health impacts seriously! Smoke is often noticeable in the moment: causing eye irritation, nasal inflammation, and a scratchy throat.

If you must be outside on a day with high levels of wildfire smoke, wearing a KN95, KN94, or N95 respirator is a great way to reduce your exposure and protect your health. While they do not filter out ground-level ozone, high-quality, well-fitting masks and respirators — such as KN95s, KN94s, and N95s — can filter out particle pollution from wildfire smoke, both indoors and outside.

While inside, reduce smoke and improve your indoor air quality by adding to or improving air filtration. It can be as easy as upgrading your home’s furnace filter, or by purchasing or building an affordable standalone air purifier(s).

Learn more about what to do when wildfire smoke and summer ozone overlap at our blog: https://simplestepsbetterair.org/when-wildfire-smoke-and-summer-ozone-overlap/

While ground-level ozone is our most pressing summer air quality issue, it is not our only one here in the Colorado Front Range. In the warmer months, we also deal with wildfire smoke.

Looking for information on what to do when wildfire smoke is in the air?

Our resources page and FAQ include links to several reliable websites and apps that track wildfires, provide air quality data in real time, and will send you smoke alerts, such as: EPA AirNow, Watch Duty, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Air Pollution Control Division.

To stay current on Colorado wildfire activity, prescribed burning operations, and smoke from out-of-state sources, you can also visit the state CDPHE APCD Colorado Smoke Blog.

Our resources page: https://simplestepsbetterair.org/resources/