Oct. 2 is Clean Air Day. Here’s how the City is doing its part

The City of Sacramento each year recognizes "Clean Air Day" as part of a statewide effort led by the Coalition for Clean Air.

The day is designed to help create more awareness about what cities and communities can do to improve air quality and protect public health. In Sacramento, the day also highlights the recent policies and programs the City has implemented to promote clean air.

"Sustainability takes all of us - the City, agency partners, businesses, and each community member - working together to make choices that reduce our impact on our air quality and the environment," said Rachel Patten, Sustainability Program Specialist with the City's Office of Climate Action and Sustainability. "Together, we can ensure clean air for all."

The Office of Climate Action and Sustainability works closely with City departments and the Sacramento community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Recent examples of the City's collaborative efforts include:

• The Recycling and Solid Waste Division recently added a fully electric waste collection truck to the City's fleet. The City continues to electrify our fleet and currently has over 130 electric vehicles in use.
• The City is finalizing the Sacramento Urban Forest Plan, which will guide in the protection, expansion, maintenance and sustainability of trees in Sacramento. The Plan calls for increasing citywide tree canopy from 19 percent to 35 percent by 2045, which requires planting and maintaining thousands of new trees per year.
• The City funded an Air Quality Monitoring Pilot, in partnership with the Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District, to expand air quality monitoring and awareness in Sacramento. The Pilot focused on areas with previous gaps in data and included neighborhood-scale mobile and stationary air monitoring. View the results in the newly launched StoryMap.

Councilmember Eric Guerra recently recognized Clean Air Day with a special presentation at the Sept. 23 City Council meeting.

"With Clean Air Day, we remind everyone how important it is to do your part to improve air quality in Sacramento," Guerra said. "Our region is among the top ten worst regions for air pollution in the entire country. This negatively impacts public health, especially among our children, seniors, and those with asthma and other lung diseases. As the region's California Air Resources Board member, I encourage everyone to consider taking alternate modes of transportation, plant new trees in your community, or make other efforts to improve air quality in Sacramento."

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