Clean Air Day 2021
About Clean Air Day
Celebrate Clean Air Day on June 2nd! Let’s recognize how important good air quality is to our health, our environment, and the economy. This year we look at the impacts of traffic-related air pollution and how we can reduce it to protect our health. Check out the video to learn how!
Air pollution is a problem, both on a global scale and for local communities. It is one of the most significant environmental challenges affecting public health, and one of the most avoidable causes of death and disease. Evidence shows that exposure to air pollution increases susceptibility to respiratory viral infections and pneumonia. Health experts have warned that people with these pre-existing health conditions may be more vulnerable to becoming ill with COVID-19, and those who become ill are more likely to experience the most severe outcomes.
The Government of Canada is taking action on air pollution to ensure that Canadians have clean air and a healthier environment. We are also working to address sources of air pollution around the world through the United Nations and leading on important initiatives such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance.
Our individual and collective actions contribute to the quality of the air. So let’s do our part to protect and preserve it for future generations.
Clean Air Day at home
As many Canadians spend more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have online resources to help you recognize the importance of clean air at home. Check out the following links to learn about air quality, how to protect yourself against air pollution and what you can do to help keep the air we breathe clean.
Fun facts
- In 1999, Canada declared Clean Air Day an annual celebration during Canadian Environment Week.
- Air fresheners don’t clean the air. They mask odours with another scent that may contain chemicals that can cause irritation or health issues.
- In addition to providing shade from the sun, trees also release large amounts of moisture. This helps cool and cleanse the atmosphere.
- Canadians spend on average 90% of our day indoors. While we continue to practice physical distancing by staying home, indoor air quality is more important than ever.
Lessons from Lockdown: Let’s Talk Air Quality
Have you wondered how the pandemic lockdowns affected air pollution? Or how you can ensure good air quality in your home, where we now spend more time than ever?
Hear from indoor and outdoor air quality experts on what the pandemic has taught us about clean air. Watch “Lessons from Lockdown: Let’s Talk Air Quality.”
National
- “Lessons from Lockdown: Let’s Talk Air Quality” Facebook Live event: Hear from indoor and outdoor air quality experts on what the pandemic has taught us about clean air.
- On Your Feet Challenge: Join the Canadian Cancer Society’s challenge to walk, bike, run or scooter and help your school get to 6000 km! Check out the winners in June.
- Health impacts of air pollution in Canada: This infographic helps you understand the health impacts of air pollution in Canada can cause on your health and how to protect yourself. Air quality and health publications: browse infographics, posters and lesson plan for parents and teachers to learn about air pollution, its effects on health and how to protect yourself against it
- Improve your indoor air quality! Learn about the causes of poor indoor air quality.
- Wild about wildfire: Wildfires are a growing concern. Unlike other air pollution typically found in urban environments, smoke can move in and out of a community rapidly and make the air unsafe very quickly. Read more about what Health Canada is doing on wildfire smoke in this blog post.
- Clean Air 20/20 program (Clean Air Partnership): Practical guide to cutting your energy use by 20% at home and on the road
- Air quality podcast : Breathing is the most natural thing, right? And yet, every day, with every breath, air pollution affects our health. This podcast provides a forum for health and research experts to discuss air pollution and its impacts on our health, and on possible solutions to address this issue.
- Air quality email subscription : subscribe to this list to get the latest news about the Government of Canada's work in the area of air quality
- FireWork: daily smoke forecast maps
- Air Quality Health Index: find out what the air quality around you means to your health
British Columbia
- Prepare for the worst: Learning to live with wildfire smoke webinar (British Columbia Lung Association): join expert panelists in this webinar as they cover the existing health evidence, populations most at risk, and strategies for health protection during the ongoing pandemic.
- Bike to work/school week (British Columbia)
Alberta
- Alberta Airsheds Council: air quality education resources
Manitoba
- Clean Air Day Manitoba: register to receive a Clean Air Day kit with resources and fun activities
Ontario
- Clearing the Air: this report shows how electric vehicles and cleaner trucks can reduce pollution, improve health and save lives in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
New Brunswick
- New Brunswick Lung Association: request a Clean Air Day in-school presentation tailored to grades 4 – 6. Students will learn about fine particulate matter, its effects on health, and the network of small air sensors in our province. Teachers will receive additional classroom activities building upon what was learned in the presentation and using data from the sensor network.
Nova Scotia
- Green Schools Nova Scotia: join the province’s at-home webinars, get craft ideas, play games, conduct experiments while learning about saving energy to protect the environment
International
- A Call to Action on Methane (June 3, 8:00 – 10:30 am ET): register for this virtual event to raise international awareness of the critical need to reduce methane emissions. Hosted by the Global Methane Initiative.
- Breathe Life 2030: Find out air pollution levels in your city and learn about global air pollution issues.
Long description
Small gas engines cause a lot of air pollution
1 hour of lawn mower use = driving 480 km from Quebec City to Ottawa
Long description
Cleaner air in your own backyard
Choose an electric option this summer!
- Similar performance to gas engines
- Competitive price
- Zero emission
- No risk to respiratory health
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