(more on) Utah Clean Air Conference

There was a few other points from the Utah Moms for Clean Air Conference I attended last Saturday that I really wanted to tell you about.  The first speaker, Jaron Hansen, PhD and Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at BYU, pointed out that the three main contributors for air pollution in the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys (and I'm assuming in general anywhere in the US).  These are:

• diesel fuel emissions
• other motor vehicle emissions
• wood burning

And on the topic of wood burning, he noted a generous program called The Wood Stove Changeout Program through the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) that I found quite intriguing.  Apparently, if you are living in an area that qualifies for the program, the government will give you up to 30% or $1500 to change out your old stove and replace it with a much more efficient one that emits 70-90% less pollution into the air.  I thought that sounded like a really great idea for those of you who either primarily heat your homes with a wood burning stove or for those of you who just like to light a fire for the ambiance.  I know in the past we have!

What a fantastic way to get some of the gunk out of our air by using the incentive for you to replace your old stove with a brand new one!  If purchasing a new stove is not in your budget, there are other ways to reduce the pollutants you put into the air with your current stove such as always cleaning out the ash in the stove and making sure to burn only dry, seasoned wood instead of wet wood.  You can find out more details to this program and other ways to ensure you are doing all that you can to reduce the pollutants you put into the air by checking out the following sites below:

WoodStoveChangeout.Org
EPA

Mommy Bridget

Utah Moms for Clean Air and the Utah Clean Air Conference

Today I had the pleasure of attending my very first Utah Clean Air Conference in Orem, Utah.  Along with Utah Moms for Clean Air, other sponsors of the event included Intermountain Health Care, the American Lung Association of Utah, Utah Valley University, College of Science and Health, Breathe Utah, and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.  With a star studded group of speakers in the field of medicine, science, economics and Moms, I was able to learn so much more about the physical dangers of our air quality.  As grim, devastating and shocking the information on air quality and health affects was today, I did learn of some possible solutions to improve these issues.  One very important solution is to educate others.  Another is by contacting our elected representatives and requesting further discussion on implementing steps to cure the toxic air.  After this winter's poor air quality and following today's discussions, I am forced by moral obligation to no longer sit back and ignore the issues we and our children are faced with.  It is our time as mothers to work as a joined group and demand justice for clean air!

Are you all with me?  I know I know, it seems like such a large task to take on.  But really, it isn't.  It is easy, and it begins right here...by educating the public.  Here are some interesting facts I learned today that might convince you otherwise:

• Did you know that little tiny embryos are exposed to air pollution in utero from the air the mother breathes during pregnancy?  Blood samples were taken from the umbilical cord of recently born babies immediately following birth and it showed a 50% increase of chromosomal damage.  Chromosomal damage is what leads to types of cancer, leukemia, brain damage (therefore lower IQ's), asthma...and the list goes on.  Basically, we can say (and as quoted by Brian Moench, MD and President of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment) that we are what our grandparents inhaled.  Furthermore, our great grand children will have damage to their systems due to the bad air we are breathing today.  Not fair right?  Right.

• Did you know that from the moment a baby is born, it is contaminated with over 200 chemicals in our air that are proven to cause health problems?  Crazy huh?  Our poor children...it's just so UNJUST!

As Cherise Udell, the Founder and President of Utah Moms for Clean Air said so well, it is our moral imperative to do something about our air quality.   We can no longer accept that the toxic air on average shaves off 2 years of our children's lives and increases their chance of a lifetime struggle with asthma.  It is no longer acceptable that our children have no choice in the harmful affects of our air on their brain development and lung and heart health.  It is no longer fair that we are forced to stay indoors because the air we breathe outside can make us sick, increase our chances of congestive heart failure, lung failure, and mortality.  There are many things we can do to improve the quality of air we breathe.  Please see the web sites below for more information on what you can do to ensure we breathe clean.  The steps are easy...as long as you are willing to sacrifice your time to educate yourself on the matter.

Some web sites for more information:

• UCAA- Utah Clean Air Alliance
• Utah Moms for Clean Air
• Breathe Utah

Thank you for listening.  If you have any interest in joining Utah Mom's for Clean air, go to their web site.  They are also on Facebook and Twitter for more information and support.

Mommy Bridget

Air

On a lighter note...

If you are wondering what the hey this is supposed to mean, it means we have a green air quality day!!!  We have had great air since last I complained about it.  Green means very healthy to breathe, to play in, to run in.  "Green" as green should be. 

Pictures of my views of the mountains and the valley to come soon.

Mommy Bridget

Stuck Indoors...again

I find it interesting...well, sad is more the correct term when I describe how I make some daily choices based on the air quality of the oh so beautiful city we live in. Yesterday I kept thinking to myself, "oh good I'm so glad we have a storm system moving through so I can go outside and run". But wait, how silly does that sound?! That is my reality. I can tell you that my exercise routine is based on the air quality chart below:

Wednesday	Thursday

And for those of you not living in beautiful Utah, the red means stay indoors, reduce driving, burning prohibited.

As of today, it looks like I won't be able to work off those holiday calories until Friday....and my son and I cannot go sledding like I promised him yesterday.   After moving away from North Dakota's winters, I never thought I could have it worse during the cold months.  In ND, we grew up staying indoors 7 months out of the year not because we had poor air quality.  In fact, the air is so clear in Bismarck (one of the many things ND should be so proud of).  But we were forced to stay inside because the minute we stepped out, the frigid air would freeze my nose hairs in an instant. 

As soon as we can, my family is moving to higher ground.

Mommy Bridget