Fall 2005
 

Seasonal Focus

Now that the fall season is here and commute routines are back in full swing, it's the perfect time to remind students and employees in your community about the simple steps they can take to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

This fall, It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air is providing a great assortment of materials and online resources built on the theme of choosing alternate modes of transportation. The fall messages are: take mass transit, ride your bike or walk instead of driving, and share a ride or carpool. The fall materials include:

The It All Adds Up fall program coincides with several national, regional, and local efforts to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and improve quality of life, including:

  • World Car Free Day, September 22, 2005. The World Carfree Network, a coalition of more than 40 groups that promote alternatives to cars and automobile-based planning, provides resources to support local events around the world. The "official" Car Free Day is September 22, but many cities hold activities all week or on a more convenient day. The EU sponsors European Mobility Week, which has 1,544 cities in 40 countries (and not just European) participating this year. To get tips on how to organize your own event, please visit http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd.
  • International Walk-to-School Week, October 3-7, 2005. The Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first Walk to School Day in 1997. Now a full week, this event is bringing together children, parents, teachers, and community leaders in 37 countries around the world. Last year 3 million people participated. Join the fun this year and teach your community's children a simple way they can help reduce traffic congestion, clean up the air, and be more active! Please visit the Web site to learn more.
  • The League of American Bicyclists will announce new bronze-, silver-, gold-, or platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Communities (http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/) in the first few weeks of October. Currently, there are 49 recognized communities around the nation, and more than 100 additional communities have applied. This program helps cities, even the ones that don't receive status, learn how to implement bicycle-friendly community programs. The Bicycle Friendly Community program is sponsored by grants from the Bikes Belong Coalition (http://www.bikesbelong.org).
  • Communities in Motion Day is a one-day event sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) that celebrates public transportation and showcases how transit benefits communities. This year's event, Seniors in Motion, October 6, 2005, will showcase the vital role public transportation plays in the daily lives of older Americans. Though mobility and access are the focus, it might spur aging Baby Boomers to consider how valuable mass transit is to them, their community, and the environment. To download a 2005 Seniors in Motion toolkit, please visit APTA's Web site.
  • 2005 Asthma Walk. Local chapters of the American Lung Association (ALA) are conducting walks nationwide to raise funds for education and research to help control and find a cure for asthma. Contact your local ALA chapter by calling 1-800-LUNGUSA or visit http://www.lungusa.org to learn more about participating in the 2005 Asthma Walk.

DOT and EPA will continue their coordinated efforts to promote the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air fall messages through a variety of activities, including:

  • Participating in the "Communicating Air Quality and Communities in Motion" Annual Meeting sponsored by the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators, Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; February 5-8, 2006; Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas
  • Highlighting the fall materials on our Web site
  • Working with the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, National Association of Regional Councils, American Public Transportation Association, State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials, League of American Bicyclists, and the Association for Commuter Transportation to spread the word via their communications channels
  • Helping communities promote the fall messages through related national observances and programs such as Car Free Day, Walk-to-School Week, Seniors in Motion Day, and the American Lung Association's Asthma Walk
  • Providing technical assistance—including customizing the flash animation and seasonal print ads—to communities and ACAT members

We hope the fall materials and online resources will help you with your outreach efforts this season. Please let us hear from you about the ways you adapt the materials for your community and about your progress in reaching your target audience(s). And please let us know if you have ideas for future seasons - we rely on your feedback as we look for ways to improve the initiative. Send us a note to tell us what you're thinking!

* The Website links are provided as a service. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government.



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