Press Release
2008 AIR QUALITY FORECASTING SEASON SEES SIGNIFICANT DECREASE
IN NUMBER OF ORANGE DAYS
Season concludes with just eight orange days compared with 18 in 2007
ST. LOUIS, MO, SEPT. 26, 2008 . . . A cooler and wetter-than-normal summer contributed to healthier air quality conditions in the St. Louis area during the 2008 Air Quality Forecasting Season. The final air quality forecast of the season was Sept. 19, bringing the official season tally to 64 good or “green” air quality days, 50 moderate or “yellow” air quality days, eight unhealthy or “orange” days and zero red days. Compared with 2007, the season saw 10 fewer orange days, which represented a decrease of approximately 50 percent.
“It was great to see the number of orange days decrease so significantly this summer,” said Susannah Fuchs, director of environmental health for the American Lung Association and spokesperson for the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership (The Partnership). “While there’s no question that weather patterns definitely contributed to the healthier air quality we experienced, we also believe the commitment of area residents, businesses and organizations to go green and do their share for cleaner air played a key role, and we hope to maintain and build on this momentum as we head into 2009 and beyond.”
Seeking relief from skyrocketing gas prices, many commuters did their share for cleaner air by choosing to rideshare or use transit this summer, resulting in fewer cars on area roads, a reduction in air pollution emissions and ridership milestones for the region’s public transit providers and for RideFinders, the regional ridesharing agency. At Metro, passenger boardings have approached 60 million, while RideFinders recently reported that the number of commuters sharing the ride to work in one of its carpools or vanpools soared to more than 9,000, representing 4 million annual passenger trips and a 32 percent gain over 2007. In the Metro East, Madison County Transit also saw significant ridership gains, reporting a record-breaking 577,094 riders during June, July and August, representing a 21 percent increase over the summer of 2007, fueled in part by the organization’s innovative Summer Youth Pass program.
Additional residents heeded The Partnership’s call to do their share for cleaner air by making personal commitments to adapt “green” lifestyle changes at home and at work. From turning off appliances not in use to recycling office paper, newspaper and drink containers, The Partnership spent much of the 2008 Air Quality Forecasting season working to educate the public about the many easy lifestyle changes they could take to reduce emissions and help area residents breathe easier.
“Our hope is that this year’s significant decrease in orange air quality days is a reflection of our work to increase awareness of regional air quality issues and get the public involved in the clean air effort,” added Fuchs. “And, while we’re thrilled about this year’s improvement in air quality conditions, we want to stress how important it will be for area residents to remain engaged in the clean air effort and willing to do their share for cleaner air in order to ensure that our air quality continues to improve in the months and years to come.”
For more information on the 2008 Air Quality Forecasting Season, contact The Partnership at (314) 645-5505, ext. 1007, or visit www.cleanair-stlouis.com.
The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership was formed in 1995, led by the American Lung Association of the Central States, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Washington University and others, to increase awareness of regional air quality issues and to encourage activities to reduce air pollution emissions.
