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Are you at home, helping your children learn about the environment and what they can do to make a difference in our community? Here are some educational resources to help you guide them to learn more about the air and its importance to our health and the health of our planet.

Louisville Air Watch shows real time air quality data from our regional air monitoring network.

AirNow is the center for air quality data across the country.  Webcams, lesson plans and information on air monitoring are available, as well as forecasts and regional air maps.

The Nature Conservancy has a Nature Lab with curriculum for all levels of students, with virtual field trips, lessons on sustainability and solutions to keep our cities healthy.

You’ll find lessons on the composition of air, carbon cycles and air quality research at this STEM curriculum website.

Of course, being Idle Free is an important part of reducing air pollution around our community’s schools and businesses. If you would like to work on Idle Free goals for your school or obtain signage for your neighborhood or business, KAIRE would like to work with you to make that happen.

The theme for 2020 Air Quality Awareness Week is Better Air, Better Health!  In a time where we are all focused on health, KAIRE is working to keep you informed about air quality in our region and sharing easy ways we can all help the air.

Air quality forecasts let you know what’s happening locally with our air. Should conditions warrant an Air Quality Alert, KAIRE will share that alert with you, so you and your loved ones can make a plan to protect your health during those times of elevated air pollution.

As always, KAIRE focuses on air friendly behaviors, such as being Idle Free, which mean our air is cleaner in the places where we live, learn and work.

So, join us in celebrating a week focused on air quality, while we work to bring better air and better health to the Kentuckiana community.

When the seniors at Holy Cross High School were choosing service projects, Thomas Mackin decided to make a difference in the health of his Cougar community. Thomas chose to focus on reducing idling in the areas surrounding the school by raising awareness and encouraging everyone to turn off their vehicle engines while waiting in the school parking lot. Though school activities are delayed at this point, his plans include distributing Idle Free information to student drivers and car riders, as well as installing  Idle Free signage as a reminder to make a healthier, air friendly choice.

In February, Thomas toured the Cannons Lane Air Monitoring site to learn about regional air monitoring. He met with Tom Lobb, Air Quality Control Technician at the Air Pollution Control District, who described the equipment and procedures used to collect data.  This gave Thomas some perspective on our regional air quality and how idle reduction can help Kentuckiana breathe easier.

KAIRE wishes Thomas all the best as he completes his senior year, and we hope he’ll be able to implement the rest of his clean air plans soon.

 

 

 

While our daily routines are changing, we at KAIRE wanted to let you know that you can still count on us for air quality information.

As the weather warms up, you may be spending more time outdoors. Check the Air Quality forecast, especially if you or your loved ones fall into the Sensitive Groups category for air pollution. You can find out more about Sensitive groups here.

KAIRE continues to share the Air Quality forecast. In the upper right-hand corner of our website is a cloud; hovering your cursor over that cloud reveals the air quality forecast. You can also follow KAIRE on social media for forecasts and Air Quality Alerts.

Our colleagues at the Air Pollution Control District continue to monitor the air and enforce pollution regulations and laws, but our offices are closed to the public.  Find more information about how APCD operations have changed during the COVID-19 outbreak here.

Ever wonder if it’s worth it, to turn off your car while waiting? Do you think your new habit of turning off in the car rider line doesn’t make a difference?

Being Idle Free does make a difference, and it’s big.

Eliminating unnecessary idling by personal vehicles would be equivalent in emissions reductions to taking five million vehicles off the road, according to an article in The Environmental Magazine.

Americans waste six million gallons of fuel by idling each year. Everyone who makes the pledge to turn the key and be idle free moves us closer to a cleaner, more efficient fleet. Switching to electric or hybrid vehicles also works in our favor.

Read The Environmental Magazine article about reducing idling here.