The City of Sacramento recently passed a resolution recognizing Oct. 6 as “Clean Air Day,” 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 underscores the policies and programs the City recently has implemented to advance clean air.
Recent examples include:
- Approved an agreement with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to purchase 100 air quality monitors for low-income neighborhoods.
- Installed approximately 200 electric vehicle chargers, 120 of which are available to the public and more are being installed in the near future.
- Banned all leaf blowing when the air quality index (AQI) is at or above 101, considered “unhealthy” for children, older adults, and other people who may be more sensitive to air pollution.
- Adopted a New Building Electrification Ordinance, which phases in requirements for new buildings to run entirely on electricity starting in 2023.
- Purchased new zero-emission vehicles to replace old gas-powered City fleet vehicles.
“It’s more vital than ever for the City to take action to address air quality,” said Jennifer Venema, the City’s climate action lead, “Bigger and more intense wildfires are just one example of how climate change impacts residents’ health. Creating a resilient future requires improving local air quality as well as reducing greenhouse gases emissions.”
The City last year established the Office of Climate Action & Sustainability, which is managed by Venema.
“The City has made a strong commitment to supporting clean air by accelerating programs that combat climate change,” said Venema. “City departments are advancing this work, with the support of our regional partners like SMUD and Sacramento Regional Transit. This is just the start, and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
To learn more about the City’s climate action efforts, visit cityofsacramento.org/climateaction.