Council urges people in North Hertfordshire to take action against air pollution

PR Date: Monday, 14 June 2021 - 12:45pm

On 17 June, Clean Air Day 2021 will see schools, hospitals, workplaces, communities and councils across the UK taking action to inspire people to take simple steps to protect their health, their families’ health, and children’s health from air pollution.

North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) is supporting Clean Air Day 2021 by highlighting the importance of good air quality. The campaign also highlights what people can do to reduce their contributions to pollution levels in the district, as high levels can be harmful to both children and adults.

Clean Air Day’s theme this year is ‘protecting our children's health from air pollution’, and the top three recommended actions to reduce pollution levels are:

• Walk and cycle more, especially using back streets away from polluting traffic
• Avoid lighting bonfires, barbecues and fire pits if at all possible, as they create a lot of air pollution
• If you have to drive and there are no other more sustainable forms of transport available, switch your engine off when you’re stationary, and try to choose electric vehicles where you can

Children and adults with respiratory issues are particularly affected by air pollution. A free to use Air Pollution Alert System which sends a message to your mobile phone when pollution levels are forecast is available. This helps individuals to plan their day around when pollution levels are likely to be high. To sign up to receive free Air Pollution Alerts go to the air quality subscription page. 

Cllr Steve Jarvis, NHDC’s Executive Member for Environment said: “As part of our commitment to improving air quality in North Herts, NHDC’s Environmental Health Team regularly monitor air quality across the district. We are introducing Ultra Low Emission Vehicles for our officers, we’ve made the switch to renewable energy and green gas power to heat our buildings and we have made changes to our Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Policy to limit emissions from vehicles, to name just a few actions. All actions feed into our Climate Change Strategy, where we have pledged to achieve net zero emissions in the district by 2030.

“We are fully committed to making changes that reduce our impact on air quality, but ultimately tackling air pollution is down to the choices and actions of all of us, as individuals and communities.  People can reduce the pollution their family is exposed to and help improve the air quality for both themselves and the wider community by making small changes to how they travel, what they buy and how they manage their home.”

For handy tips on what you can do to reduce your contribution to pollution levels in North Herts and how to protect yourself from poor air quality go to the Clean Air Hub. 

For more information NHDC’s Climate Change Strategy go to our Climate Change Strategy webpage.