Clean Air Hamilton 2016 Projects
Clean Air Hamilton Fresh Air Kids
In 2016, Green Venture and Corr Research were approved to add three schools to their Fresh Air Kids Program.
The program educates two classes in each school in air quality issues, Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), developing air quality maps using mobile monitoring data and low risk methods and routes to school.
Benefits of the program include better awareness of school communities about air quality issues and the AQHI, direct reductions of childrens’ air pollution exposures, promotion of active transportation, reduction in vehicle idling and better health outcomes.
For more information, click here.
Idling Vehicles
The Conservation Authority owns and operates Conservations across the City with a number of parking lots. In order to help protect the environment and the health of the community, anti-idling signs were posted in Conservation Area parking lots.
Totally Transit for School Aged Children
Totally Transit is a program run through Green Venture in partnership with the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) that increases awareness of using public transit, climate change, energy conservation, and human health to elementary school students across Hamilton. In 2016, Totally Transit was expanded, including sustainable transportation, bike safety, healthy living, and energy.
For more information, click here.
Eco Stars Classroom Challenge
The Eco Stars Classroom Challenge engages students and teachers in practical strategies to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in their classrooms, at home and at play. Individual classrooms take on the challenge to reduce their carbon emissions over the school year (September 2016 to March 2017) for the chance to win a free tour of EcoHouse.
The participating classes are given challenges consisting of actions and activities that teach the students more about air quality and climate change, how to improve air quality and to mitigate and or adapt to climate change. As these actions are completed, their qualifying actions are added to the LEARN-CC Hamilton Climate Change Map located here.
For more information and the results of the 2016-2017 EcoStars Challenge, click here.
Air Quality Health Index
In 2016, Funding was provided to Corr Research Inc. to maintain the Hamilton Air Quality Health Index website and to enhance the public’s knowledge about local air quality and health risks. The website presents Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index spatially resolved across Hamilton, Ontario. The site also provides the current hour’s AQHI map and also produces links to additional air quality resources.
To view Hamilton’s AQHI, click here.